1 week later

Its been a week since my July experiment has ended and not much is different. Most of the food, cleaning supplies, and health and beauty items in our house are local, but I have had a bit more processed food, and my body has not been happy. I've had some heartburn and a few other bodily maladies that did not happen at all in July. Here are a few of the things that have reverted back for me:

• I have soda, a lot of it. I went to McDonalds specifically to get a Coke, it just tastes better there.
• Last Sunday, Maureen and I went to Qdoba.
• I've been less thoughtful about where I get my gas from. I was down to fumes so I coasted in Meijer, though I think I am going to make Gas America my preferred.
• We went to Costco and bought Cottonelle toilet paper. It is so much softer than 7th Generation (on a side note, in the past month Costco has apparently transitioned from Charmin Ultra Soft to Cottonelle...I'm not sure how I feel about that...more news there as events warrant).
• I'm now alternating between my hair gel and the commercial stuff. Mine works better, it just takes a lot longer to work into my hair.

Most activities will be the same still have a local flare to them. Blake and I are excited to get up tomorrow morning to go the markets. We are picking up cupcakes for his and Pearl's birthday party. We will be having 5 dogs at our house tomorrow to celebrate. Afterwards I'm going to pull the cucumber plants out of my garden so I can plant my tomatilo plant in the ground.

The exciting activity of the week was going to KIB tonight. As a part of IDADA First Friday, they had an art exhibit of paintings and sculptures that people made from the Hoosier Dome roof. They were so cool. I'll get a picture or two up in the next day or two. As August has kicked off I am really excited for 3 things:

Indiana State Fair: Its the year of the pig with lots of great Pork Specialities. We are going on August 10th, because it is the best day of the fair. There are coupons for $2 admission and a lot of the food vendors give smaller portions of their food for $2. Top of my list to find is the deep fried bacon and my all time favorite deep fried oreos. Sadly, I haven't found any mention of the fair doing deep fried butter, but I'll be looking for it!

Harvest - This is Second Helpings annual fund-raiser where some of the best chefs in the city come together to prepare appetizer portions of their food that is thoughtfully paired with wine. The event is @ Second Helpings in the evening on Saturday August 28th. Chefs from the Best Chocolate in Town, Circle City Sweets, R Bistro, Napolese, and many others will be there. There are also great auction items.

Dig-IN - This is a new event this year that you will see me tweeting / blogging / facebooking (is that a word?) over the next month. Here is a description from their website:

On August 29, 2010, Indiana growers will make their way to White River State Park to showcase their high quality locally produced products, and remind Hoosiers there is much more than corn in Indiana. Dig-IN will feature educational discussion panels, cooking demonstrations, urban gardening exhibits, local chef Q&A sessions, wine tastings, beer and food pairing classes, and much more. Combining the freshness of farmer's markets and our state's greatest food minds, this event promises a feast for the senses. Prepare to learn from Indiana agricultural and culinary experts as they invite you on a journey from field to table top. Don't miss the opportunity to help us celebrate all that Indiana agriculture has to offer. See you in August!

That's about it for tonight. I'm heading back into the kitchen for about 10 minutes to bottle 6 quarts of mint iced tea I made tonight. I have found the left over milk bottles from Trader's Point are a great way to store simple syrup or iced tea.