I’ve always been a decent cook and provider for my family, but the abrupt season change has me contemplating a different path: Making more food myself all of the time (not just some of the time), and using local ingredients to do so.

Sure, I’ve always been a Farmer’s Market fan, and I do shop at New Seasons—from time to time, that is. But while I know (and agree with) the benefits of buying local, sustainable, organic food—well, the spirit is willing but the flesh is often weak. More accurately, I don’t often find the time, energy, or copious disposable income to always buy local, to always cook for the family instead of grabbing something to go on the way home from work.

But I’m now taking my lead from Tricia. I’m getting inspired by people like Audrey, my friend LeLo (who’s been canning and preserving all summer) or that whirling dervish of energy, Sarah Gilbert.

And I now have my very own sourdough starter sitting out, beginning the fermentation process & capturing the wild yeast from the air. I’ll get my crockpot started on some homemade applesauce and apple butter tomorrow (after a visit to the Portland Nursery Apple Tasting, that is.) And I’ll figure out if it’s possible to buy local and sustainable *without* going bankrupt, or spending all of my time in hunter and gatherer mode.

What advice can you offer me about how to make the changes I seek without losing my mind in the process? And—what changes are you making in your lives as the world turns chilly?

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