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My Yearlong Visual Log of Fresh Produce

(post, Jane Pellicciotto)

In April of this year, I decided to track my dollars spent on local versus non-local produce. I wanted to see if I was putting my money where my mouth was. So often, we see ourselves a certain way, in this case, as a devotee of eating seasonal, and by definition local, produce. But I didn't know for sure if I was living up to my own ideal.

After I started my project, I came across this site where a couple tracked all their garden expenses, including labor, for a year. This is a feat beyond what I'm capable of.

Once I started tracking my expenditures, I realized that numbers didn't interest me enough, so almost as a meditative and creative discipline, I decided to draw what I was buying. Being this intimate with my buying habits has made me pass up a few more items at the grocery store. My motivation was due in part to a desire for structure, rather than prove anything to anyone.

This is the result for June. You can find links there to April and May. Not sure where this is going, I'm along for the ride. This process has made me want to prepare foods that I would normally buy. I plan to make ketchup. Does anyone have a good recipe? I have sauerkraut brewing now. And this year, I'm getting over my fear of actual canning. The freezer just doesn't hold what it used to.

If you're reading this, let me know what would keep this interesting for you month to month. Thanks!