You know that Locavore is becoming mainstream as a term when even NPR uses it. Have a listen as Linda Wertheimer talks about her love of fresh tomatoes and how it has been affected by the current salmonella scare.
I think we will see more and more folks creating their own vegetable gardens wherever and however they can: on balconies, in pots,and under lights in an effort to control their food better. I know that it has been the long series of food scares that has driven me to avoid certain foods in the grocery stores for quite awhile now. As new foods are added to that list, it just confirms my desire to plant as much of my own vegetables as I can.
Interestingly enough, it also forces me to eat seasonally, a concept that I have been lax in following. Now? Now I'm waiting for my tomatoes to come in so that I can have fresh, very local tomatoes, whose entire life cycle I have controlled. They will taste just that much better, for the wait. Also? Guess who will be freezing a lot of tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and tomato purees in the fall?
And guess who else will probably be getting homegrown, canned tomato sauce for Christmas (Eric's special sauce!)? Yeah, you guys (Well, family members at any rate. Much as I love you Internet, I'm not growing that many tomatoes!).
What are you doing differently this year? Are you waiting on your own vegetable garden or the Farmer's Market or are you still shopping at the grocery store for everything?
Where's the pause button on this thing?
4 comments:
we are growing some of our own veggies and herbs this year, and until those are ready to harvest we have been buying a lot from the Farmer's market each week. We have also been buying meat at the farmer's market. My aunt and uncle run a dairy farm and they bottle and sell their milk at a store on the farm and in several local grocery stores, so that is how we have been buying milk since they started bottling three years ago. It is not organic milk, but they do not use hromones, and they bottle in returnable glass bottles. They also make ice cream and butter and sell other local products in their store. I am definitely not eating seasonally, and I think we are a long way from doing that at this point. Doing what we can for now, and trying to focus on local buying as much as possible.
we got to enjoy our first strawberries this weekend. there were only 4, but they were great. :) other than that, the only other thing that's been producing so far has been my grape tomatoes. i'm looking forward to enjoying more food from the garden later this summer and am so glad i planted one. :) it just makes me feel good.
I just found your blog this morning and I have been enjoying it very much. Like you, the food scares of late have been causing us to change the way we obtain our food. This year, we are doing many things differently than we used to, including doing most of our grocery shopping at our farmer's market. We are able to get veggies, fruit, berries, beef, chicken, honey and eggs at our market. We also have a garden, and being from the deep south, we've been enjoying its produce for a few months. It was the e-coli in the spinach a few years ago that brought our garden from a dream to reality. I'm hoping to grow enough spinach this fall to be able to freeze some for winter cooking (provided we don't eat all of it fresh).
Well hello, Book Lady! I hope you're enjoying yourself!
Yes, the e-coli scare was pretty crazy, especially since it wasn't the fault of the organic farm, but instead the run-off from a feedlot nearby and the contamination of the water. Being able to control our own food really is becoming a radical act. What is interesting to me is how they're being referred to as Victory Gardens again, except that this time, they're OUR victory over big-Ag and big Business. What a change!
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