Here's a small list of stuff I have in my 150km area:
Wine Grapes
Apples Citris Fruit (oranges, manderians, lemons, limes)
Mangoes Avacado
Garlic Yeast
Salt Sugar
Pepper Spices
Herbs (all of the major ones and most of the rest)
Truffles Potatoes
Kumara Onions
Broccilli Yams
Pumpkin Olives
Soap Chocolate
Lollies Oils (olive, sandalwood, eucalypti, tea tree, tingle tree + heaps more)
Toiletry products
Clothing Footwear
Wheat Barley
Sheep Cattle
Emu Deer
Kangaroo
(all of the above can be used in many different ways and are extensively farmed)
...And it goes on and on.
Half way thru my year, and everything was going fine. Nothing had really changed to much, apart from knowing my area really well and stopping going
to the supermarket totally. It was too easy, so I changed the rules a bit:
Now EVERYTHING I would consume I would have to find within my area. Apart from petrol and electricity. (I simply couldn't afford to wire my house
up to solar.)
Took a bit of planning, but my region really is blessed with some great places to visit. I found clothing, footwear, hats, toiletry's. Maybe I'd
go to Olivo Bello (a local olive grove) and get a good discount on the soaps and other toiletry's, which works out cheaper then the supermarket.
I even found locally produced toilet paper!
The hardest thing about my diet is not being able to rush into a supermarket and grab things off the shelf. Planning is required, and one day a week
I usually go off and grab all the ingredients I'll need for the next week. I have to plan my meals and prepare things from scratch. It takes time,
but it's time I would usually be wasting away in front of the comp or tv, so it works out for me. Plus I get to maintain a awesome garden full of
fruits, veges and nuts. I find it's a great way to unwind after work. Plus the food tastes better and has less sprays used to produce it.
At first I hated it, but now it's a part of my life that allows me go get out into my community to share and trade. It has helped strengthen my
identity with the area, and you'll always have someone inviting you in for a beer. It's a sweet way to get your food, although I agree it's not
for everyone.
I work full time and study part time. It really takes commitment to find the time sometimes but now it's a way for me to relax or meditate on the
day and clear my head.
If anyone would like some more info about this u2u me or post up here. It's just a part of my life that I thought I'd share as a way to clear my
head after reading WAY to many posts today and getting all conspiracyed out.
Thanks
Shane