My Very Own CSA
So, I read a book and it changed my life.
Well, the motivations and inclinations were there already but the book helped me nurture them and act.
The book is called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver.
An excerpt from the book:
"Can we really be this afraid of the stuff that sustains human life? Of where our food comes from, and what it might do to us? We can, we are. TV dinners and neon blue Jell-O are unsolved mysteries. As far removed as most of us are from the processes of growing and preparing our food, it makes a certain kind of sense to see food as the enemy. It’s very natural to fear the unknown.
The first step toward valuing and trusting food is probably eating food that has some integrity. People who hold their traditions of food preparation and presentation in high regard don’t tend to bargain-shop for cheap calories. Associating food with emotional comfort can lead to a life of scary habits and pitfalls, if the training ground is candy bars for good report cards and suckers for bravery during a booster shot. But there are other ways to go."
This book taught me that to eat food with integrity takes personal integrity. I care about what goes in my body. How can I expect to be physically healthy, mentally uncluttered, and emotionally sound when there is synthetic junk fueling me? How can I expect to have energy or feed my brain? How can I feel good, both bodily and morally? These are the things I ask of myself daily, that I need the good things in me to power.
This book taught me that, first and foremost, local is priority. Eating local and supporting local business are huge to me. Also the thought of the fuel waste and pollution that occur just to ship food that's out of season to us is ridiculous. Second, organic is good (why would anyone voluntarily eat hormones and pesticides?). But the meaning of organic is becoming so subjective these days. To me, it means eating things without a label/package and when I do, that I am able to understand the ingredients listed on the back of said package.
So I'm focusing on the other ways I can do it all. Anyone who knows me knows I'm obsessed with food: preparing it, eating it, and celebrating it. I wondered what I could do to delve even deeper into supporting local food markets as well as keeping my body healthy. After a lot of research I decided to buy a share of Community Supported Agriculture. I researched tons of farms (using LocalHarvest.org, a site recommended by the book) and settled on Silverbrook Farms. I bought my CSA half-share (feeding 1-2 people, instead of a family share) this morning with a portion of my federal tax return.
This means every week, from June through October, I will be receiving a share of fresh produce, herbs, healthy breads, local jams & cheeses, and other farm products from six local farms via Silverbrook.
I'm happy about this. I'm really happy. And will probably be having a ton of veggie-based dinner parties. So, you know, get ready.
Other steps I've taken in the last month to be more conscious of supporting local business and being "greener" in general:
* Eating as close to the ground as possible, for all meals (examples: 1, 2, 3)
* Recycling like a fiend
* Grocery shopping mainly at local health food stores instead of the big chains
* Perusing seed catalogs for ideas for in-home gardening
* Switched as many of my consumer purchases to local-only products as possible
* Joined SlowFoodUSA
* Signed up for a Seed Exchange & Container Gardening Workshop
* Influenced the eating habits of those around me for the better
* Continuing to be an active leader in my own life, instead of a passive follower
Well, the motivations and inclinations were there already but the book helped me nurture them and act.
The book is called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver.
An excerpt from the book:
"Can we really be this afraid of the stuff that sustains human life? Of where our food comes from, and what it might do to us? We can, we are. TV dinners and neon blue Jell-O are unsolved mysteries. As far removed as most of us are from the processes of growing and preparing our food, it makes a certain kind of sense to see food as the enemy. It’s very natural to fear the unknown.
The first step toward valuing and trusting food is probably eating food that has some integrity. People who hold their traditions of food preparation and presentation in high regard don’t tend to bargain-shop for cheap calories. Associating food with emotional comfort can lead to a life of scary habits and pitfalls, if the training ground is candy bars for good report cards and suckers for bravery during a booster shot. But there are other ways to go."
This book taught me that to eat food with integrity takes personal integrity. I care about what goes in my body. How can I expect to be physically healthy, mentally uncluttered, and emotionally sound when there is synthetic junk fueling me? How can I expect to have energy or feed my brain? How can I feel good, both bodily and morally? These are the things I ask of myself daily, that I need the good things in me to power.
This book taught me that, first and foremost, local is priority. Eating local and supporting local business are huge to me. Also the thought of the fuel waste and pollution that occur just to ship food that's out of season to us is ridiculous. Second, organic is good (why would anyone voluntarily eat hormones and pesticides?). But the meaning of organic is becoming so subjective these days. To me, it means eating things without a label/package and when I do, that I am able to understand the ingredients listed on the back of said package.
So I'm focusing on the other ways I can do it all. Anyone who knows me knows I'm obsessed with food: preparing it, eating it, and celebrating it. I wondered what I could do to delve even deeper into supporting local food markets as well as keeping my body healthy. After a lot of research I decided to buy a share of Community Supported Agriculture. I researched tons of farms (using LocalHarvest.org, a site recommended by the book) and settled on Silverbrook Farms. I bought my CSA half-share (feeding 1-2 people, instead of a family share) this morning with a portion of my federal tax return.
This means every week, from June through October, I will be receiving a share of fresh produce, herbs, healthy breads, local jams & cheeses, and other farm products from six local farms via Silverbrook.
I'm happy about this. I'm really happy. And will probably be having a ton of veggie-based dinner parties. So, you know, get ready.
Other steps I've taken in the last month to be more conscious of supporting local business and being "greener" in general:
* Eating as close to the ground as possible, for all meals (examples: 1, 2, 3)
* Recycling like a fiend
* Grocery shopping mainly at local health food stores instead of the big chains
* Perusing seed catalogs for ideas for in-home gardening
* Switched as many of my consumer purchases to local-only products as possible
* Joined SlowFoodUSA
* Signed up for a Seed Exchange & Container Gardening Workshop
* Influenced the eating habits of those around me for the better
* Continuing to be an active leader in my own life, instead of a passive follower