And so it begins...

After a trip to the Charlotte Farmer's Market one Saturday, Eric and I wondered if it was possible for us to shop only at Farmer's Markets for our groceries. It would definitely have a positive effect on the way we eat, we would be supporting local farmers, bakers, crafters and small businesses, and hopefully, we would be saving money. We decided it's worth a shot!

We live in an area with a lot of local farmers markets. There are a couple larger ones in Gastonia and Charlotte, and a few smaller ones in Belmont, Cramerton, and Lowell. On top of that, we are pretty close to many seasonal "pick-your-own" orchards and farms where you can pick apples, cherries, strawberries, peaches, and pumpkins. You can get all sorts of stuff around here! Fruit, veggies, eggs, sausages, beef, pork, fresh bread, homemade jams, jellies, pickles, salsas, pies, and other treats. Even with all that, Eric and I realized that we would still have to get bits and pieces like milk, pasta, sugar, flour, rice, butter, etc. at a grocery store, so we set up the ground rules.

We hate wasting. So we are currently using up the non farmers market friendly stuff we already have while we wait for the first day of our year long challenge. As a teacher, a grad student, a wife and a mommy, I'm waiting until the beginning of the summer to start so that I won't be so busy with school and work. We are going to have to change a lot about how we cook and shop, and new recipes take time to find and figure out. We start our challenge June 1st!