I’m pretty sure I’ve never blogged about cooking before. I don’t mind cooking if conditions are right, and I make a mean cheesecake if I get the urge, but it’s not something I care to chat about usually.
Maybe I’ll do it a bit more often if I talk about it.
Lately I’ve been trying to pull the family diet towards more healthy things. We’re not as bad as we could be. We don’t subsist entirely on cheese curls and soda. Our snack food is usually cheese, or maybe a bowl of cereal. But veggies don’t make an appearance nearly as often as they should, and we are kind of addicted to the convenience aisles of the grocery store. Microwave meals, ‘helpers’ of various sorts, canned stuff you just throw in a pan…
You know. All that stuff that’s loaded with high fructose corn syrup. And not just that–I only pick on that because I can type it without looking it up. Have you looked at what they’re selling us as food lately?
So I’m investigating vegetables. I’m looking into local foods. I’m pondering things like pesticides and hormones that I’ve been bringing in my house without realizing. I won’t be going all organic (no way I could afford it) and I won’t be going vegan (good God no!). But I’m going to think.
I follow Elizabeth Bear on Twitter and she talks about her CSA (community supported agriculture) share. I’d never heard of it, so I went and looked it up. The one near me sells shares, 13 weeks at $250, and then once a week you go and pick up a share of locally grown produce. You get what they have, but apparently you get a lot, and it’s all local-grown and pesticide free. I won’t be doing it due to the aforementioned money issue, but you can find one near you (in the U.S.) by looking here.
Recently a friend linked me to Chuck Wendig’s blog (Watch your step–he’s not for the faint of heart) and I’ve been browsing it since. Today I stumbled on his cooking posts, and in one of them he talks about farmer’s markets. He talks about food, and stuff that looks like food but really isn’t, and how it’s just a good idea to give your body food it knows what to do with.
Here’s what I’m getting: there’s a lot of stuff that isn’t food in most food. One reason it’s there is to keep the food appealing longer, so people have time to buy it. People want their food to look good, too, and some of the problem is that. I grew up on a farm, and we had a garden. I can tell you that food that hasn’t been tampered with does not look like what you usually see in the store. Strawberries–merciful heavens. Normal strawberries are about a fourth of the size of the mutants you see in the store. And they are oh so good. I love strawberries. I can’t eat those mutant things.
So here’s the takeaway:
- If you buy food from a farmer, she gets more of the money while you support a local business.
- You know where your food came from, and if it looks funny, you can ask her why.
- The less distance that food travels to get to your table, the less abused it is.
- The less distance your food travels, the less not-food needs to be added to it to keep it edible till it gets to you.
Makes sense to me.
Eish, I feel that. We’re constantly saying we’re going to start eating healthier, but then life hits and things get crazy and we’re back to eating instant soup.
Personally, I’m all for supporting the farmers too:) It’s healthy and it tastes better anyway.
Don’t forget to check out your local farmer’s market too. You can usually find organic or at least great fresh fruits and veggies for decent prices.
I’d love to take advantage of a CSA, but money is my issue as well.
Go pick up Michael Pollan’s “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”. It will change how you look at food. And remember- “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” 🙂
Did you know that frakkin’ bread crumbs have HFCS in them? Also, apparently MSGs which Aileen has a sensitivity to.
Even on our crappy income of loans we’ve tried (and, with a few exceptions, succeeded at) eliminating HFCS, bleached flour, and partially hydrogenated oils. I’m less picky about the second two, still have my all-purpose white flour, but we’re getting there. And at Aileen’s, all bets are off, because she rarely looks at labels and I won’t complain (too much) since she’s feeding us.
I also have this pet-peeve with sugar-replacements because I don’t think they’re a good idea. I think the only reasonable thing regarding sugar is to consume in moderation.
Also we have a farmer’s market in Bloomington that’s fairly reasonable, and the Mennonites here are even more reasonably priced. But you live in the desert, so IDK.
Oh, I know that problem, Afri! That’s why I’m trying to do it now, in summer. When the kid goes back to school and I go back to work, all bets are off. So it’d be good to get some habits in place now.
@Kyann – got a farmer’s market trip planned Saturday with a friend. I’m looking forward to it! I’ve seen Pollan’s name, but I’m nervous of “changing the way I look at food.” I want to eat healthier, but I also DO NOT WANT TO KNOW a lot of things. 😉
@Jen – I know. It’s everywhere, and even though I know it’s everywhere, I still get surprised. I was in the store last week and I picked up–now I can’t recall what. Something that shouldn’t be sweetened. Maybe lunch meat. And there it was, third thing on the ingredient list.
I do live in the desert, but there are farms within an hour or so. Willcox has pick-your-own farms, I know, and probably a lot of stuff from there lands here, too.
Ahh, Mennonites. I wouldn’t want to be one, but they do make excellent neighbors.