Saturday, January 23, 2010

Eating Local

Eating local has become an important goal for me. My husband and I watched Food Inc. I had been meaning to watch it for months but ...oh you know how that goes. Anyway, it was really well-done. Much was not a surprise or I already knew about it, but there were plenty of "woah" moments for me. Those who know me know that my husband and I are vegetarians for environmental and ethical reasons. I often think I'm a bit more liberal about it than my husband in that I'm always quick to tell people that I'm not anti-hunting or against small, sustainable, humane meat farms. A lot of people expect a barrage of anti-meat talk from me and, though I do consider vegetarianism to be one of the best environmental approaches at the moment, I understand that some people really don't want to or, in some cases, physically can't. Long story short, this documentary isn't anti-meat - it's anti-factory farming and anti-fast food. There were very few gory scenes of slaughter if any at all. There was definitely some footage of the animals' living conditions (toned down - most factory farms won't let just anyone wander in) and some food processing footage. So "icky scenes" shouldn't be a concern.

Anyway, the movie reinvigorated my desire to eat locally. As much as I miss my old stomping ground, there are an abundant number of small, local farms who participate in markets and will sell you meat, eggs, and, in some rare cases, milk from their own cows.

But it's getting to be the end of January! It's cold! What could possibly be in season right now?

Well, according to Sustainable Table there are several things! All thanks to "hothouses" and storage, apples, cabbage, carrots, onions, potatoes, turnips, and winter squash are in season. That's a lot of stew and soup! And mixed with dried legumes.... mmmm!

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