i, too, saw mckibben's article in gourmet, and really liked it. but isn't one's ability to do the 100-mile diet sort of linked to what season you start it? for example, i'm right now buying crates of fresh produce to can, dehydrate or freeze from the farmers market nearest to me in northern Illinois. i'm reasonably confident that i could, with some sweat equity, provide for those lean months of winter by working like a beaver right now. but if i tried to begin such a plan in october, i'd be in dire straits pretty shortly. so the author of that couldn't make jam without sugar. but she could have canned or frozen those strawberries to use in sauces later in the winter. and if the argument is that freezers aren't ecologically sound, then i'm stumped. how would you cook -- over renewable wood? this illustrates a theme that presents itself over and over in my thoughts: that in the last 100 years or so, we've lost the mental attitude (and the know-how, sometimes) of being self-sufficient. can't get rice or white potatoes? eat wild rice... or sweet potatoes ... or bashed parnips ... or turnips ... or carrots ... or rutabaga ... or white beans ... or black beans ... or red beans ... you get the idea. just one person's opinion.
