The October 2008 Eat Local Challenge has been announced and the sign-up sheet is available.

It might seem kind of early to be bringing this up, but it’s not. I missed out on the 2008 One Local Summer Challenge because by the time I realized it was about to happen, registrations were closed! Of course, I continue to eat locally anyway, but miss the “community feel” of it.

The other reason it’s not to early to bring it up is that the October Eat Local Challenge is every day for the entire month. This means I need to be storing up like a squirrel right now!

I do believe though that even though this is a daily event, it may be easier than the last weekly challenge I was joined for a few reasons: October is a big harvest month, I’ve been putting by items, much of the food in my home is local or regional or “known exceptions,” and my knowledge of my foodshed resources has increased.

I encourage anyone who is even remotely curious to sign up for the challenge. There is no way to fail, even if you find you can’t stick with it. It’s amazing how your perspective on eating can change simply by asking, “Where did this come from?”