I am sure I am not alone in examining all parts of my budget during this time of economic strife. (In fact, this post was late because I am in the midst of epic research on how to cut down my phone bill.)

Since I believe so strongly in buying good, sustainably raised food from local purveyors, it can sometimes be a challenge to reign in spending. On the Eat Local Challenge website, we have talked a lot about eating within a budget and have proven that it's possible -- it just takes a little more planning than average, a little more cooking than average, and a little more preserving of food than average.

So how does one go about eating sustainably on a budget? I have a few ideas, but would love to hear what tricks you are employing to keep your family's budget down.

Eat fruits and vegetables that are in season.

When fruits and vegetables are in abundance in the farmers market, the prices go down. There may be sales, and you are getting the vegetables at their peak of flavor. When you just have to have a bunch of asparagus out of season in August, you're going to be paying top dollar for it. Right now, in the middle of asparagus season, you may find a deal.

Put foods up when you find a bargain.

Start working on canning, drying, preserving, and freezing your food as you find it on sale. There is nothing that's better for the budget and the tastebuds than pulling a bag of peas that were frozen in their peak out of your own freezer, or using your own jarred tomatoes that were purchased in September and canned. Learning to can is a bit of a process, but the resurgence in interest means that there are a lot of resources available. Start with the Ball website for step-by-step instructions.

Menu plan.

You may remember that in January I mentioned that I would be menu planning in order to cut down on food waste as part of my 2009 resolutions. It's been going quite well, and has in fact given way to a new project with a friend where we menu plan for the week and cook together. You can read the first part of the series on Serious Eats. I know that this is the key to keeping my budget in check, but I have to admit that it's been quite a switch for me to menu plan and to eat at home as much as I have been.

Look for unpopular cuts of meat.

Meat definitely takes up a large percentage of my budget. I've taken to combing through a meat vendor's selection for cuts that are less expensive -- oxtails, tougher cuts of meat that need to be slow cooked, or different meats like goat -- in order to find a bargain. It seems to be working out somewhat, and I am also cutting down on my meat consumption.

I'd like to ask you, readers: What have you been doing to cut down on food costs?

Though I'm making great strides in this arena, I feel like there are other things I can be doing to cut down on costs.

Related posts:
Inexpensive Family Meals

As I've mentioned here, October is Eat Local Month around the nation. While I tend to concentrate on local eating throughout the year, October is a fun time to renew my efforts and find new local products.

Toward that end, I shopped at the Sunday San Rafael Farmers Market this weekend. Sporting my new Praise the Lard t-shirt, I hopped in a Zipcar and drove the twenty minutes to the Marin Civic Center.

I really love the San Rafael Markets -- they are held at the Civic Center (a Frank Lloyd Wright creation) on Thursday mornings and Sundays. While the Thursday market is mellow, quiet, and impressive in its produce offerings, the Sunday market is jam-packed, loud, and quite large.

It had been several months since I'd been to this market, and some new vendors were in attendance. The market seems to be really pushing for more local products, and the farms seem to be much more locally-based than ever before.

Devil's Gulch Ranch is in Nicasio and was offering milk-fed pork and rabbit. They are hosting a farm tour and dinner on November 8 which would be a great way to see the farm in person.

My absolute favorite find of the trip was the new organic dim sum booth that is located in the back of the market. The company is called Tru Gourmet and, for the time being, is only available at the Marin Farmers Market. I bought four pieces for $5 from their extensive list of offerings, and was impressed with the bright flavors and excellent taste. You can read more about Tru Gourmet in this article from the Marin Independent Journal.

It's a fun time of year to go to a market. Our California weather means that tomatoes are still available (the tomatoes pictured above being from Costal Fog Organic Farm in Petaluma) along with other typically summer produce alongside with winter squash and winter greens. Marin Roots Farm had absolutely gorgeous red carrots. When cut open, the insides are bright orange and the flavor is sweet. In addition to the carrots, I bought a kabocha squash from Paradise Valley Farm, beautiful braising greens from County Line Farm, and oxtails from Marin Sun Farms. Andante Dairy is attending this market and I picked up some Etude cheese, which I've already completely consumed.

In the coming weeks, I am looking forward to seeing more pomegranates, brussels sprouts, and pumpkin varieties. I hope to see you at a market!

October is Eat Local Challenge month around the nation. Over at the Eat Local Challenge blog, we are excited to have over two hundred people who have committed to eating locally in their area for the entire month. We choose to eat locally because it supports the local economy, because it supports local farms and farmers, because it's lighter on the earth, and because it supports responsible development.

Since its meager beginnings in 2005, the Eat Local Challenge has grown to a movement that is beyond any of our dreams. This is evidenced by the cooperation of many organizations in San Francisco that are bringing you a myriad of eat local events throughout the month of October.

Even if you don't commit to eating locally for the entire month (though we'd love if you sign up and participate!), there are lots of ways that you can support eating locally in October in the Bay Area. Here are just a few ideas:

1. Support restaurants in the Bay Area that make a habit of buying from local farms. Just a few ideas include Delfina, A16, SPQR, Flea Street Cafe, Coi, Piccino, Pizzetta 211, Serpentine, Hog Island Oyster Company, Pauline's Pizza, NOPA, and so many others.

2. Support restaurants in San Francisco that are committing to buying locally in October. Eat Local SF is a local organization that has worked with restaurants to provide special Eat Local menus during October. Those restaurants can be found via Open Table.

3. Learn more about eating locally by attending a lecture. The Commonwealth Club is hosting a four week series about eating locally. I will be attending several of the events. I sat in on some of the planning sessions for these events, and am excited about the panelists at each. Events include:
October 1. Local Food, Local Pride: Policies for Sustainable Economies
October 8. The Water Connection: State Policies and the Impact on Local Food Systems
October 15. From Farm to Feast: How chefs, farmers and artisans strenghten our community
October 22. Food as Medicine: Health and Food Safety

4. Attend tastings of local wines and food at 18 Reasons each Thursday night in October. 18 Reasons is a great art + food gallery in the Mission, and I am excited to check out these celebrations of local wine.

5. Use the Buy Fresh Buy Local database to find local food in your area, and support those purveyors in October.

6. Attend a farmers market each week in October. Use the Chronicle website to find your local market.

7. Ask your supermarket manager where your meat, produce and dairy is coming from. Remember that market managers are trained to realize that for each person actually asking the question, at least 7 people want to know the same answer. Make a difference!

However you decide to support local eating in October, be sure to let us know what you're doing and how it goes.

No matter where you are in the nation, summertime is the perfect time to consider eating more locally grown food. It's good for your local economy, good for the environment, and good for your families. Besides all of that, it tastes great.

When I began the Eat Local Challenge in 2005, it never occurred to me that it would become such a part of today's conversation. At that point, it was just a few of us around the country banging the drum for the importance of supporting local farmers and artisans.

Then came the influx: the eat local movement has been discussed in virtually every major newspaper and magazine and continues to be a top discussion nationwide. I never thought I'd see Wal*Mart saying "buying local can be a great thing for the planet." While the proof will need to be in the pudding before I start shopping at Wal*Mart, it's still a very interesting and exciting feeling when large corporations start talking about eating locally.

If you're interested in brushing up on your eat local news, the New York Times has published an on-line, comprehensive guide which has an archive of all NY Times articles and links to many eat local discussions.

If you'd like to watch an Eat Local Challenge take place in a practical manner, the One Local Summer challenge is occurring as we speak. One Local Summer challenges folks around the nation to cook, and write about, one entirely local meal each week through the summer. It's been a joy to read along as people from all reaches of the country report about their local meals.

Each year, the Eat Local Challenge website hosts a month-long challenge which asks people to consider eating locally grown food for the month. The challenge can be what you make it -- either eating entirely local food, or just committing to shopping at a farmers market each week, or having a party with all local food at some point during the month.

For the first time publicly, I'd like to announce that this year's Eat Local Challenge will be in the month of October, and we are joining together with several local groups to bring you some interesting events and exciting on-line challenges during that month. I'm more excited for the Eat Local Challenge this year than any of the previous three years, and hope that you'll keep an eye on the Eat Local Challenge website in the upcoming months to find out how you can participate.

One of the most exciting pieces of food news this year is that "locavore" has been knighted "word of the year" by the Oxford University Press. However, I absorbed the concept of the Eat Local Challenge before I did "locavore," which, in all honesty, I thought had something to do with the phases of the moon and the lycanthrope society. (It's possible I've watched one too many Frasiers.)

The first time I heard about the Eat Local movement, it was over two years ago, and since I was still trying to ferret out where to buy my favorite French nut oil, Mexican ginger beer, and New England pumpkin ale, I felt totally overwhelmed.

Did I really need to think about each and every food product that came into my kitchen when I was just starting to find my cooking legs in San Francisco? Of course not. If you give the smallest crap about eating local, it's not necessary to ensure that every food product -- salt, coffee, flour, sugar, produce, meat, Diet Coke -- in your kitchen is from local purveyors. If you give the smallest crap about eating local, you just think about what you're buying and wonder if it's local. Because you care.

That's all you need to do to effect change: start thinking about it. Start caring about it. Then maybe, you'll start acting on it. Frankly, if it hadn't been for Jen Maiser, I'd still be just thinking about eating local and not actually doing anything about it. Not only does Jen blog about eating local at her own site, Life Begins at 30, she's also the editor of the Eat Local Challenge blog and has worked at various farmers' stands at the Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market.

After my failed first attempt at participating in an Eat Local Challenge, I started following Jen's efforts more and more. Her passionate, yet refreshingly frank and evenhanded writing style drew me in deeper and deeper, and before I knew it, not only was I examining every tag, sticker, and vittles visa at Andronico's, but I was delivering earnest, flushed-cheek diatribes to my Minneapolian parents and sister about why they should think to ask, "Where did this come from?" before they stuck anything in their mouths. It got to the point when my mom was collaring the hapless meat guy at Whole Foods and demanding to know why he was offering her lamb from New Zealand and not from Minnesota.

Jen shares her information widely, energetically, and -- most importantly -- nonjudgmentally. She embodies the sentiment that you don't have to harvest your own coffee beans, dry your own salt, or refine your own sugar to be a conscientious eater, you just need to wonder, "Where?"

In fact, "Where?" is the sentiment of the newest Eat Local Challenge. According to Jen, the next ELC -- set to be unveiled early next year -- is: "a challenge focused on where our everyday foods are sourced from. Instead of challenging participants to eat food from as close to home as possible, we will be asking them to take everyday items that their families eat -- processed foods like crackers and potato chips, mass-produced products, and fast food items -- and try to find out the source of the product ingredients. I think it will be interesting to learn what we can, and can't, find out about our food."

I'm thrilled that "locavore" is being recorded in the annals of history, but without the Eat Local Challenge spurring me to think, question, act, and eat, I have a feeling I'd still be assuming that locavores howled at the moon and stuffed pillows with their own hair.

This post today is going to consist of several tidbits that I have to report -- all a bit too small to warrant individual posts.

King Corn Challenge. Meghan published an interview with Aaron Woolf, the director of the movie King Corn. Curt Ellis from the movie is taking a challenge which involves not eating any corn products for the month of November. He's challenged others to take the challenge as well, and so far six brave souls are joining him. This would be difficult for me (as I'm eating a corn tortilla as I type) especially because it would basically eliminate eating any meat products at restaurants apart from a few specialized restaurants featuring grass-fed beef, but I certainly admire those who are trying it. Learn more about the challenge at Culinate.

100-Mile Thanksgiving. If you're interested in taking a one-day Eat Local Challenge, check out the 100-mile Thanksgiving Challenge that is being hosted by Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon, authors of the book Plenty. I'll be participating to the extent that I can, taking local dishes to my family's potluck Thanksgiving dinner.

De Afghanan Kabob. It was a sad day when one of my favorite neighborhood restaurants, Meditteranean Spirit on Polk street, closed in September. Happily, the restaurant has been replaced by a Fremont favorite called De Afghanan Kabob House. I can't give a full restaurant review as I've only tried a couple of things on the menu, but the entrees I've eaten have been delicious. De Afghanan's specialty is their Chapali Kabob -- an Afghani dish that is made of ground beef, green onions and spices. De Afghanan makes a delicious rendition and the restaurant is worth stopping in if you are in the neighborhood. Entrees are around $10. De Afghanan Kabob, 1303 Polk Street (at Bush), 415-345-9947.

Redwood Hill Crottin. Congratulations to the local cheesemakers at American Dairy Goat Association. Redwood Hill's Crottin cheese was the award winner (via Serious Eats).

Photo by the author. Capay Canyon Ranch (pdf) almonds, currently available at the Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market (Saturdays).

Have you driven Highway 80 lately? If you were traveling to Sacramento or Lake Tahoe, you may have noticed an exciting new attraction along the way. The Nut Tree in Vacaville -- a part of the history of the area since the 1920's -- has reopened and has new retail stores, restaurants, and rides for children.

One of the new shops in the "Nut Tree Village" is the Capay Valley Valley Farm Shop. The Capay Valley is an area of Yolo County, approximately 100 miles northeast of San Francisco. It's an abundant growing region where fruit and vegetable crops in addition to wheat, wine, beef, lamb, olive oil, honey, walnuts and almonds are produced. Farmers of the Capay Valley joined together to create the Capay Valley Farm Shop in a location convenient to the many drivers on Highway 80.

That the Farm Shop is located in the historic Nut Tree complex is fitting. The Nut Tree history is integral to the California food movement, and Alice Waters has praised the Nut Tree for being important in the creation of California Cuisine. It started as a fruit stand, and eventually became a stopping point for dignitaries, travelers, and locals alike who were looking for good, fresh food and innovative cuisine.

Visitors to the Farm Shop will find Capay Valley produce, seasonally prepared foods including salads and sandwiches, and gift items such as lavender products, honey, and jam. Over the course of a year, the Farm Shop will feature products from 42 Capay Valley farms. Thomas Nelson, a co-owner of the shop, says that the Farm Shop is modeled after the farm shop concept in England, where it is common to have shops convenient for customers with carefully selected local produce and other items.

I visited the Farm Shop several weeks ago, and was excited to have a brick-and-mortar location to pick up some of my favorite Capay Valley items including dried wheat berries from Full Belly Farm, fresh figs, and potatoes. This location is a quick and convenient stop-off for produce, cheese, crackers, wine and sandwiches on any trips east of San Francisco.

For more information:
SF Chronicle, Nut Tree Nostalgia, Feb 25 2005.
Capay Valley Farm Shop, Participating Farmers
Capay Valley Grown Project

In 2005, Garrison Keillor, that curmudegon of a Minnesotan, wrote a column in <a href="http://dir.salon.com/story/opinion/feature/2005/09/28/keillor_work/index.html
">Salon stating:

"Today, home canning has gone the way of the typewriter, the vacuum tube and the TV variety show. The Ball company sold off its jar division and now makes satellite sensors or something, and groceries stock fresh tomatoes all winter, imported from Mexico, which cost a buck apiece and taste more like tennis balls than tomatoes. But at least you don't have to stand in a steamy kitchen and ruin your hairdo."

How great is it that locavores everywhere are proving him wrong this month? As Jen Maiser mentioned late last month, this year's September Eat Local Challenge is focussed on "canning, preserving, and putting food up for the winter." As the blogs I frequent roll up on my Google reader, I can see that several Bay Area Bloggers have risen to the challenge.

Sam at Becks and Posh starts off her Eat Local Challenge canning project by first making me jealous that she invested in a pressure canner and then giving a hysterical list of "Don't"s for novice canners. As in:

" --Don't embark on a canning project unless you think you will get extreme satisfaction from a loud popping noise in your kitchen that almost sounds like someone has been shot but is, in fact, just indication that your lid has concaved, your vacuum has sealed, you can safely remove the screw band and that the operation was a complete success..."

and

"Don't install the disk of your food mill upside down. It is possible, but not recommended."

Hee. She also appears to be swearing, cursing, and using lots of bad words. But she doesn't recommend that either.

Elsewhere, Cookiecrumb at I'm Mad and I Eat who, rather than canning, has just pickled some serranos and jalapeños, and explains:

"I covered them with a boiling mixture of vinegar (local), salt (uh-uh), sugar (nope), cinnamon (as if) and cardamom (yeah, right). Water from Marin County. No idea if this mixture is chemically balanced for the hot water bath, but it's yummy just the same, and who cares. "

For my part this time around, I'm doing my passive (but LOCAL!) part by discovering and indulging in cold jars of certified organic sour dills from Happy Girl Kitchen. You can buy them as singletons at the Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market and slurp on them as you do your shopping or, if you're a glutton like me, you can grab a whole jar and snack on them late at night while watching The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T and wondering if drinking pickle juice really does give you strange powers.

Kadota figs from Hamada Farm, San Francisco, August 2007

Eating locally, and teaching others about the importance of eating locally, is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. I am a founder of the Locavores (the group who originally invented the word "Locavore" in May 2005), and began the Eat Local Challenge site. The site is a place where bloggers and other Eat Local Challenge participants can write about their experiences with eating locally. I'm proud that we have authors from all corners of the nation, and are adding new authors to represent even more geographic areas.

While the Eat Local Challenge was born out of the Bay Area, it has moved across the country and has been adopted by thousands of people nationwide. I often feel like a proud aunt watching the movement gather more and more momentum and gain recognition in traditional media and among the general public.

Each year, we host a month-long challenge focused on eating locally. The challenge has changed months yearly, as we want to try eating locally in different parts of the calendar. In 2005, the challenge was in August. In 2006, May. And this year, the challenge is in September. Much of the focus of the Eat Local Challenge site during September will be on canning, preserving, and putting food up for the winter. I am excited about this because I have never canned anything at home in my life. Already, several of us are talking about getting together for a canning party so that I can learn from some masters.

There are many ways that you can get involved in this year's Eat Local Challenge. You can participate in the traditional, month-long challenge via the Locavores website, you can commit to buying food from the farmers' market each week during September, or you can host a local foods potluck with your friends. Anything that will help you focus on where your food is coming from is a step in the right direction.

Here are some links to get you started:

16 Ways to Participate in the September 2007 Challenge.
10 Reasons to Eat Local.
Local Harvest will help you find local foods as will The Eatwell Guide.
Finally, follow the Eat Local Challenge site throughout September to read about the progress of participants around the nation.

Alemany Farm tomatoes

It's been a busy time at my house this week. Between working full time and preparing for this year's Eat Local Challenge*, I haven't had much time to catch up on my favorite blogs. Perusing the sites this morning, I found several compelling posts from some of our Bay Area bloggers.

In the last couple of weeks, Chowhounds have been hunting for an elusive Korean catering truck that travels around SOMA and the Embarcadero during lunchtime. The Bunrabs have found it and reported on it. I think it might be worth tracking down! The photo of the charred chicken bowl that they posted has set my stomach grumbling.

When I went to Vancouver for the first time this past May, I had tried the Canadian snack called poutine. It's an artery-clogging dish and when it's made correctly it can be addictive -- french fries topped with a peppery brown gravy and cheese curds. Food Hoe reports that Salt House is serving a delicious rendition made with Vermont cheddar, short rib gravy, and fresh herbs.

I am not a baker. I rarely make desserts, and when I do they tend to lean toward the simple and minimalist. However, Dessert First's gorgeous desserts often tempt me into wanting to try something a little more fancy. I think at my next dinner party, I'll have to try my hand at her gorgeous Hazelnut Cake with Roasted Glazed Peaches. Wow.

Oh, and join me at the Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market this Saturday at 10.30 am when I interview James Freeman from Blue Bottle Coffee Company. I'm doing it as a volunteer for CUESA's "Meet the Producer" program.

* Keep an eye on the Eat Local Challenge blog this week to find out how you can participate, or check this blog next Tuesday for a summary of the September challenge.