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Community Corner

Eat Local Challenge Starts Saturday

Participants challenged to eat 80 percent locally grown foods for next four weeks.

is trying to get people to eat a little closer to home for the next month.

The co-op is sponsoring the Eat Local Challenge!, starting tomorrow and running through Sept. 17. The challenge is for families or individuals to compose 80 percent of their diet from the five-state area for four weeks.

The challenge will kick off with an Eat Local Sample Day at Just Food from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, and wraps up with the annual Harvest Festival from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 17 in the co-op parking lot.

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Harvest Festival is a free, family-friendly event that includes live music, food samples and an opportunity to meet some of your favorite local producers, as well as the chance to make your own print at the ArtOrg Steamroller Print workshop.

There are also a number of activities to help keep participants on track along the way, including:

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• A root cellar building workshop through SEEDS Farm from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Cost is $5 and registration with SEEDS (507-581-9453) is required.

• A free bulk buying class focused on local foods at Just Food from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 30.

• A five-course Taste of Minnesota Local Food Dinner at 620 Grill on at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 29. Cost is $45. Contact 620 Grill for more details.

The 80 percent figure is just a guideline, and there are no strict rules for how to interpret it.

“Some folks decide that they will not count spices and salt toward their 80 percent, some do. Some families try for 80 percent by weight, others count ingredients. The idea here is to set your own challenge before August 20, and then try to meet that challenge for the whole month,” according to Joey Robison, marketing and member services manager for Just Food.

“If 80 percent seems too intimidating, go for 50 percent. If you’re already eating mostly local foods, perhaps you want to increase your challenge to 100 percent, or reduce your local food area to 50 miles instead of five states.”

Robison said she wasn't sure how many families or individuals have signed up for the challenge, which is now in its sixth year.

“In years past, we had about 50 the first year to little over 100 last year, and we're expecting to have even more this year,” Robison said. “It's been growing steadily.”

Robison said once people try it, they realize it's not as difficult as they may have initially thought.

“I've never heard anybody say it was harder than they thought,” she said. “It's hard to say. People don't come in and say, 'wow, that was super easy,' but by the end of the month I think you're kind of used to it and realize how much local (food) is available.”

Robison stressed that the challenge is open to anyone, not just co-op customers.

“We want to make sure it's a challenge anyone can take,” she said. “You don't have to shop at the co-op to participate. Wherever you shop, you can take note of where things are made.”

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