Over the years, my partner and I have made many conscious choices around our food. It’s really nice to know where our food comes from, and if we eat seasonally, it’s a wonderful way to stay in touch with the changes in the weather and light.

But eating locally is hard! And often expensive, though it doesn’t have to be. This year, because I’m in school, we are a little financially strapped. We’re planning to participate in a local community-supported agriculture (CSA) program, run by a friend who is running a farm by himself for the first time. Buying a share in his CSA represents a large investment in his new career and his new farm. It’s a lot of money, all at once, to keep us well-fed throughout the growing season.

But what if his crop falls through? How will we feed ourselves this summer?

Maine has so much great local agriculture, it’s such a shame to forego it in favor of the supermarket. But vendors at the farmers’ market don’t take credit cards, and at some point we might need to buy produce on credit. It’s not ideal, I know. But it’s happened before, and if it needs to happen again, I’m not ashamed to say that I’ll do it.

What would you do? Would you put basic items like groceries on credit cards to pay for your values?

My take: If we have to, go vegetarian for the summer. My partner and I eat meat, but it’s expensive, and we can go without if we need to. Then we can support our local farmer friend by participating in the CSA, eat other local produce from the farmer’s market as necessary, AND put healthful food into our bodies. We’ll also keep our weight down as well, though that’s less important.

We’ll definitely have to cut back on the pizza delivery though.

How about you?