Randy and Alma Hawes brought some very real local-eating issues to the fore, such as how can a busy professional couple who need to travel and entertain a great deal stay true to 100 percent local eating?
In the final episode of the show, Randy and Alma were frank about their gratitude that the Challenge was over. Months later, we caught up with Randy to ask him if a summer of local eating has changed his eating habits... and if he's managed to get Alma back into the kitchen.
It's been about a year since you started the 100 Mile Challenge. How has it gone for you in the months since the show wrapped last fall? How much have you stuck to local eating over the winter?
Years ago Alma and I made a deal. I grocery shop and cook and she cleans up. Since finishing the challenge last year there have been a number of changes in my shopping habits. I now know where to access produce at the farmgate and have found some local products which I had not known previously. Hazelnut oil would be a good example. Since the challenge I find myself searching labels and feel far more cognizant of the ingredients on any prepared food products. I now know the proteins that are locally produced and steer to them in the grocery store. Buying local provides fresher products which are preservative free.
Alma on the other hand, continues to purchase the supermarket rotiserrie chicken and packaged spinach when I am away.
Keep reading for some of Randy's favourite 100-mile recipes, and to find out if he ever managed to convince Alma to get in the kitchen again...
May is when farmer's markets start opening up - and when local produce begins giving you a sneak peek into summer's promised bounty. This is your best (and only!) chance to sample seasonal delicacies like green garlic and salad turnips, so get them while you can. It's also when shiitakes make their first appearance of the year. And if you have any asparagus dishes you've been meaning to try, better get to them soon before their all-too-brief season is over.
This is a fabulous time of year for fish and seafood. If you're lucky enough to be in Atlantic Canada, you can savour Atlantic lobster, which is at its peak. You west coasters can enjoy spring salmon, which is at its most tender right now, or sample BC spot prawns during their brief six-to-eight-week season. And halibut is available on both coasts.
Keep reading for a list of what's fresh across the country right now...
From inspiring photos of forward-looking green roofs to practical tips for your next trip to the farmers market, here's a roundup of some of our favourite local-eating articles from the past week:
If you missed any episodes of The 100 Mile Challenge on TV, but you want to (pretty much) recreate the big-screen experience, every episode is now available for viewing in larger format on FoodTV.ca. Just click on the "Full Screen" icon in the bottom-right corner of the video to supersize the screen.
The St. Cyr family really rose to the Challenge, fearlessly experimenting with everything from making their own salt and creating a 100-mile birthday feast for fifty people. Angela was the mastermind behind many of these endeavours. One year after the Challenge began, we caught up with her to find out how much their local-eating habits have stuck with her family.
How has it gone for you in the months since the show wrapped last fall? How much have you stuck to local eating over the winter?
We do really believe in this way of eating. For us it really has become a lifestyle change, so yes, even through those long cold winter months we really did still eat 100 mile. I can even recall the exact date (December 12) when I finally broke down and bought some fruit and veggies that were not local. I have no doubt though that this winter, with a little prep during the growing season, I'll be able to hold out even longer.
Although I have to admit I'm far from being militant about eating this way, to my mind the most important change we can make as a family is to be aware of the food purchases that we make and to understand that when we do purchase something that isn't local we realize how far it has travelled and that we view those purchases as "treats" and not as staple foods. Let's face it - it's not like we're never going to eat a mango or a pineapple again, but we really do respect and appreciate it when we do.
When you've tasted local food, you instantly realize how much better it tastes, so you really can never go back to the flavourless fruits and vegetables that we have all become accustomed to. It has nothing to do with being morally superior to other people that don't choose to eat locally - it just really does taste better. Purchasing non-local products that are available locally would be like choosing to eat cardboard instead of steak!
Keep reading to get some of Angela's favourite local-eating tips and recipes, and to find out if Mike still cooks.
The theme of this week's episode was pushing limits, as several of the 100-milers went outside their comfort zones. Sherida Peters got a lesson in cooking without a recipe, while Angela St. Cyr took a lesson in cooking under pressure at Vancouver's Raincity Grill.
Elsewhere, 14-year-old Cassie Clark Vernon received some lessons of her own from tribal elders who taught her traditional cooking methods.
Some recipes from last night's show:
And one recipe that didn't quite make it into the episode but deserves mentioning:
Browse our Community Recipes for more great recipes featuring local ingredients. Got a recipe you'd like to contribute? Send it in!
Heading into the home stretch, the challengers are feeling the benefits of local eating, but James and Alisa are intent on pushing them farther in the latest episode.
Angela St. Cyr gets a rare opportunity to learn from Vancouver-based Raincity Grill's executive chef Robert Clark, while Sherida Peters is tutored by her sister-in-law to help her cook without a recipe. Meanwhile, 14-year-old Cassie Clark Vernon gets in touch with her roots by assisting a First Nations elder in preparing a traditional meal, and the Weremchuk Williams family goes fruit picking, pushing Steve's agoraphobia boundaries even further.
If you missed the episode on TV - or just want to see it again - you can now watch it online in its entirety.
We also have some great video outtakes this week, as the 100-milers do everything from making bannock to cooking fiddleheads.
Many of you have signed up to try the 100 Mile Challenge on your own. We want to hear about your experiences so far!
Whether you signed up to do the Challenge for a day, a week, a month, or a year, let us know about your trials and tribulations, successes and challenges. We'll share them with other 100-milers here on the blog. Email your stories, tips and photos to us at contact@100milechallenge.ca.
If you're looking for more tips, inspiration and local-eating camaraderie, join our Facebook group. You'll meet other locavores - both new and experienced - and learn from their hard-won wisdom.
The 100-milers dished out some great food in the series finale. Here are a few recipes:
Last night's episode may have marked the last 100-mile supper for the families of Mission, but the local eating journey isn't over. In the weeks and months to come, keep looking to this site for recipes, news, tips, tools, and more local food inspiration.
Share your love of The 100 Mile Challenge with your friends! The series will be rebroadcast from the very beginning, starting with the premiere - "The Purge" - on Sunday, June 7 at 5 pm PT / 8 pm ET.
This time around, why not play along at home and take the Challenge yourself? Sign up here!
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