Why is it...

Why is it that I have these astounding, cool ideas for blogs like, in the shower, or while waiting to pick up the kids, but by the time I sit down at the computer, its all gone and I'm left with lame entries like this one? I suppose I should use Jot or some other form of leaving myself a note. Maybe it's God's way of sparing the world from some of my more inane ideas. Hmm.

Keeping up

Been trying to keep up with the latest exploits of the ECUSA House of Bishops... seriously, they should think about putting together a pilot for a sitcom. Although, they'd get no viewership since they'd put everyone to sleep with statements that are seriously about nothing, in a non-seinfeld and un-funny way. Where to go now? Good question.

Six Factors of Local Food Consideration

Okay- so as I mentioned in my previous post, I came up with these 6 factors that have influenced my decision to buy locally. They are probably the same for many of us, and I am sure someone more intelligent and on the ball than I am has probably written a book about it all, and would consider this plagiarism. In my own defense, these were things that really did factor into my decision making, and that I have been trying to become more educated about. So, after you admire the fruits of my youngest gardeners work to the left, I continue without further justifications....


I have divided them into two categories- selfish and altruistic. Each of these is sort of a question as to whether it is worth it to you or not- these figure in for people choosing to buy local or not.

The 3 selfish factors:

1) Health of family/self: locally grown food is better for you- no preservatives- nothing frozen or canned to take away raw nutrients. It has more vitamins, was probably left on the vine until ripe and is not subjected to the industrial food system- the system that combats problems like high susceptibility to infections in crowded feed lots by pumping meat full of antibiotics instead of just lessening the crowding. You also eliminate unregulated foreign and domestic but dirty processing plants. E-coli infections have heightened our awareness to where our food is coming from, and its not all pretty. Local stuff is just healthier- but is it so much more healthier to make it worth the downsides? Some granola friends would tell me there is no argument here, but I've known plenty of people who lived long healthy lives on bad diets.

2)Budget: this is a complicated one. In some regards, you need to have a decent income to eat locally. Fresh produce and meat aren't usually sale priced, and as I've said before, the produce stands don't take WIC vouchers. But, I think you are more likely to get things in bulk and if you have any inclination towards canning or freezing, you can eat off of those for awhile and actually lower your bill. By in large, though, if you are really committed to eating locally, I think you have to have the spending power and reserves to do it. I don't think I'm spending that much more for groceries, but I am spending some more. It may only amount to a 5% grocery bill increase, but you have to be able to say that is an acceptable increase in food costs for your budgeting purposes.

3)Time: this is another one of those plus minus categories. I have to take more time to go to the local produce stand rather than get my produce in the designated department of the supermarket. I drive 5 miles north to buy the local (almost) organic milk. I drive 5 miles south to the grocery store for cereal, toilet paper, etc etc. There's another place I like to buy most of my vegetables, and if I have my way, I'll find some place that sells meat in a 25 mile radius. But, I'll probably have to drive there as well. So, in addition to a bit more gas, I also have to consider if I have time to do several stops instead of one-stop-shopping. It can also take longer to cook fresh produce. New potatoes and corn on the cob take about 20 minutes to boil, versus the 5 minutes they take to cook in the microwave. Another place where you have to determine that it is worth it to you.



Now, on the Altruistic side of the coin:

1)Environment: When food is locally grown and sold, it means it isn't picked thousands of miles away, in bulk-industrial settings, using over-fertilized fields and then trucked or train transported those thousands of miles to us. Do I really need shrimp farmed in Ecuador when I can get them from the coast of the state I live in? How about tomatoes? Should I get them from the grocery, who has brought them in from Mexico when I can buy some grown in my own county? Buy local and you decrease your carbon footprint, your part in global warming and the amount of freon consumed.

2)Economy: for years we've been hearing about the death of farming in the U.S. I always thought it was odd, because I grew up visiting my great-grandfather's house, where we took water from the well to water the garden he planted until he was 90, or to wash the sandy soil off the watermelons, peaches, pears, grapes or multitudes of other things he grew. We feed the scraps to his chickens. (He never ate white meat though- only beef or pork, but he did eat eggs). It was the way so many in rural places lived. I had no idea of how fast that died (my family has always gardened, but never more had chickens or a large farm). Buying local keeps the money local. Taxes are paid, farms are kept, organic growers are able to continue, land is not bought by developers and turned into sub-prime mortgage subdivisions. Farming provides jobs in the summer for unemployed students. You help your neighbors in a very real sense. It also flies in the face of the artificially inflated or deflated prices you are likely to see at the grocery. Tomatoes are .49 a pound in July, but 1.49 in early May (if you're lucky enough to find them). This is as opposed to the 1.29 a pound they are year round in groceries. It's hard to say what impact supporting local farmers has on the larger system, but it certainly isn't bad for the economy.

3)Simple other-centeredness and changing the world: By buying local, you make a choice to go against the prevailing consumeristic tendencies and go back to the old way of living off of what is presented you- or forward towards a way in which we honor the world and take better care of it. You choose not to have strawberries in February or salmon in Florida. If everyone could choose to buy local, what a difference it would make in the system- maybe change it altogether! In some regards, this is a very modernistic idea of being "the right thing to do" and I have just enough should-ism in me to let it factor into my decision.

So there you have it- 3 selfish reasons, 3 altruistic (or big-picture if you like). These are some of the complicated datum swirling around in my head as I try to make a small difference- try to work towards better goals and being a true localterian. I challenge you to do likewise!

Subsidizing ourselves into obesity

So someone mentioned they were really digging my blog- and someone else tagged it who I totally didn't know was reading and suddenly my little anonymous blogging world is public! I had no idea- I was using the blog for a vent, making my husband read it occasionally, and generally getting my verbal brained ya-yas out. A person could get a big head from finding out that not only are people taking the time to read your insanely long rants, they actually enjoy them....whoa. Head rush.

I'm still trying to figure out the local food issue. I visited the organic/wholefoods/neo-hippie market today. Two things got me- one was their prices were insane! Still haven't reconciled it within myself why it costs more to eat food that is made with less ingredients. I mean I get the whole "organic" label and how much work it involves making sure you aren't using seed for your crops for your free grazing dairy cows that hasn't been genetically modified- (let's forget that you are busting your butt to make sure your cows are eating fresh grown pasture everyday making their milk so far superior to any industry milk alternative). The other thing was how much of their produce in June still came from Chile, Guatemala, Mexico et al. They don't have the excuse of being some large supermarket chain unable to change policy in the local arena either. They are a stand alone store. They may have like one other outpost somewhere near hippie heaven- Asheville, but I am certain they aren't a chain. I also discovered that eating local foods makes you a localvore- (although I like localterian better) and that growing your own food makes you a gardener, not a farmer. (A farmer sells his food for profit. )

Now that I have investigated things a little- I found out one factor in the price discrepancy. Enter the US government. For years, starting in the 1930's, the gov't has operated with a farm bill that loaned farmers money to cover their costs in lean years, which the farmers repaid in good years. In the 70's that evolved into flat out subsidies, not to be repaid, things that keep the prices low on commodity crops like corn, wheat and soy. The large manufacturing industrial food people like this system- they get all the high fructose corn syrup they need for a cheap price. So now, it's cheaper to make a twinkie with 39 ingredients than it is to make bread with 5 ingredients. And what's more, the organic food grower in central Iowa that produces a variety of organic produce with sustainable methods has to pay about $1500 to prove he really is being organic, while the mega corporate corn farmer next door gets paid $75,000 on top of whatever profit he makes, to turn out bushel upon bushel of soil depleting corn. The foods that make you fat are also the cheapest. Beef raised in a feed lot, fed with previously mentioned bushels of corn and treated with gallons of antibiotics and steroids is still cheaper than the beef of a grass-fed free range cow. Starts to make your head spin. Add to it that lots of products labeled Organic are coming from China, and its enough to make you go buy a goat. In the end- it costs more to eat less produced foods- enter the paradigm of the $.99 cheeseburger.

So I am more committed than ever to eating local, but still trying to figure out where to find it all- meat in particularly. (And then, what do I feed my very picky kindergartner who mostly only likes pizza and chicken nuggets?) It's just hard to figure out what might make a difference and how my putting my family through the strain of giving up Jimmy Dean frozen, 1 minute microwavable sausage biscuits is going to make a dent in what is a ginormous and global issue. (I tag Susan for reintroducing me to the ginormous word). I am told to write my congressman- and ask at my local supermarket (where the manager told me he isn't allowed to sell locally grown peaches- just the ones that they truck in from California). I also keep running into great resources like www.whattoeatbook.com; it's a good blog about this sort of stuff- I should probably read the book too. I also keep balancing the reasons for eating local food and came up some reasons that might affect my decision, but I'll save those 6 localterian criteria for next post....