30 Day Challenge – Eating Fully Local!

With a 365 day growing year, I am a true believer that you have everything you can possibly need to thrive with a healthy lifestlye in Malta. The climate allows for a variety of fresh produce all year round! I am a great advocate of choosing local foods, and supporting the local community with these choices.

Choosing local means

• Better for the environment, since there was less fuel needed to get the food to you!
• Better for you, as the food doesn’t need a load of fillers to preserve it for its journey
• Better for you, as the Mediterranean diet is shown to be one of the healthiest diets around for several reasons (more on that later)
• Better for everyone as you are supporting the locals, and investing in ethical practices!

Now don’t get me wrong, import/export absolutely has its benefits, and has allowed for many more society’s to progress as a result of it. For those countries that cannot grow fresh food all year round, this is a greatly valuable tool! However, Malta has an ever growing reliance on imports, especially with the sudden surge in population.

Unfortunately, some degree of import is needed to sustain such a large number of people on this small Island – but that doesn’t disregard the importance of supporting local, and the benefits it has for everyone!

Throughout the 30 days from October 1st-30th Biome Munch will be taking on the challenge to eat 100% Local! This with the aims to

• Sharing where to go to support high quality local growers and producers in Malta
• How to get by without relying on the supermarkets
• Get creative in the kitchen, and use every ingredient to the fullest!
• Realize how much better you will feel through eating whole ingredients
• Make a habit of eating with the seasons
• Creating more conscious decisions as a consumer – understanding where every bite comes from
• How to make these changes without it feeling like a hassle, complicated, nor costly.

What are the rules?

• Fully local WHOLE ingredients – meaning every ingredient in the food must have been grown here in Malta. Pastizzi may be a traditional local food – but it is not made up of fully local ingredients!
• Drinks are included! – that means no coffee, and no imported teas/alcohol/juices, etc.
• Spices as well! We will use Salt we harvested from the sea, and local herbs

3 Rules only? Simple Enough!

So what WILL we be eating?

• Fresh produce, seasonal, and directly from the farmers/markets
• Fresh Fish from the sea or the fish shop (Lampuki season!)
• Local meats from the Butcher Shop
• Local Eggs/Dairy from the farms
• Preserved local items such as Sundried tomatoes, Olives, and Capers
• Local herbs and salt for flavouring
• Olive Oil on everything of course – because food is really just a vehicle for Olive Oil, right?

So who’s in?! We will be sharing our tips, challenges and recipes here and on facebook along the way! Keep up to date with the challenge: Biome Munch and send us a message if you want to do it with us!