Localvores/Locavores Reading

From one of my favorite sources of quick information, Wikipedia:

A localvore is someone who eats food grown or produced locally or within a certain radius such as 50, 100, or 150 miles (240 km). The localvore movement encourages consumers to buy from farmers’ markets or even to produce their own food, with the argument that fresh, local products are more nutritious and taste better. Locally grown food is an environmentally friendly means of obtaining food, since supermarkets that import their food use more fossil fuels and non-renewable resources.
"Localvore" was coined by Jessica Prentice from the San Francisco Bay Area on the occasion of World Environment Day 2005 to describe and promote the practice of eating a diet consisting of food harvested from within an area most commonly bound by a 100-mile (160 km) radius. "Locavore" is sometimes also used.
The New Oxford American Dictionary chose locavore, a person who seeks out locally produced food, as its word of the year 2007.[6] The local foods movement is gaining momentum as people discover that the best-tasting and most sustainable choices are foods that are fresh, seasonal, and grown close to home. Some locavores draw inspiration from the The 100-Mile Diet or from advocates of local eating like Barbara Kingsolver whose book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle chronicles her family's attempts to eat locally. Others just follow their taste buds to farmers' markets, community supported agriculture programs, and community gardens.
A study in the 2007 Dewey Health Review revealed that a Locavore diet (study included 100 individuals ages 18–55 eating local food grown within an 80-mile (130 km) radius) resulted in a 19% increase in sturdiness of bowel movement and an overall drop in sleep apnea and night terrors.

These three books have been on my reading list recently. Each author approaches the subject of eating locally in a very different manner. All three provide first hand knowledge of the challenges and benefits involved in eating locally. So here are my rapid fire reviews:

• Farewell, My Subaru: This book was the most entertaining of the three. The author tells the story of his year of local living in the Southwest in a fun and sometimes shocking way. He also discusses in detail the process of transitioning completely away from fossil fuels for transportation. Fine tells his story chronologically, explaining the trials and triumphs of each season. His efforts to use solar panels and solar water heating to get off "the grid" were inspiring.
• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: This family showed commitment. Also told in a chronological manner, this book made it appear possible that a family (with a young child) could successfully take on the challenge of eating locally. It is one thing for a single person to make that commitment, it's a whole different ball game for a family with a young child, who has to take a lunch to school everyday, to make the same commitment to local eating. I was most inspired by Kingsolver's stories about her garden and poultry raising - though I am still not interested in raising and "harvesting" meat birds. I have already shared on this blog that I learned valuable information about asparagus from her book. I've also been inspired by the many recipes included in the book. I specifically plan on using the recipe for tomato sauce for canning this summer.
• The Omnivore's Dilema: So many things stand out in this book. One of the first thing that hit me was Pollan's thoughts about the American food traditions. I think it explained the longing that I've felt when I've traveled in places like Italy or Thailand - I want to belong to a culture with a strong food tradition. I don't want to be a part of a society that decides based upon a trend that bread is a product of the devil - the fat devil. I am hoping to go see the documentary that Pollan made "Food Inc." later this week in Seattle, the husband and I have talked about making it into a date...fun!