Eat Locally for Earth Day
Today is Earth Day. After hugging a neighborly tree, consider becoming a locavore. Or, at least, a partial locavore.
I’ve been reading and listening a lot lately to topics revolving around eating locally. It’s become quite clear to me that the closer to home your food came from, the better off you, your neighbors, and the planet will be. This is primarily because modern industrial food is highly dependent on fossil fuels, every step of the way. From the fertilizers and pesticides that are used to grow crops–in particular, corn, which both makes up a large part of our processed and fast foods and is used to feed animals in CAFOs, which make up another large part of our processed and fast foods–to the rather large amount of fuel needed to transport food (even organic bananas) from countries or continents away, then to truck them to your supermarket. On top of all this, the food is less nutritious and less tasty because of things like monocropping, hybridizing vegetables to withstand travel, feedlot animals living unhealthy lives because of overcrowding and unhealthy diet, and growing things out of season.
That’s a real quick bird’s eye blink at the issues involved. For more in-depth info., I recommend listening to a lecture by Michael Pollan that I attended last month called The Nature of Things. It’s a great intro. to the issues. You can download a podcast or you can listen online–it’s about an hour and a half, but has a pause function if you need it. You can also read Pollan’s book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma (lots of detail), Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen by Anna Lappe and Bryant Terry (a bit shorter, more of a reference guide, but engagingly written and chock-full of great info., plus recipes, yay!), or check out websites like Slow Food USA (or look for a chapter in your country or state; also, read Slow Food, the Case for Taste by Italian Carlo Petrini who started the movement), 100 Mile Diet and the Organic Consumers Association. A more narrative style book that I’m close to finishing is Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver. Pollan also just came out with another book that looks very good, In Defense of Food: an Eater’s Manifesto.
However, that’s quite a bit of reading if you’re new to the topic, so here is a list of ideas to get you started. I recommend starting with one or two changes, getting them established, and going from there.
1. Join a CSA (many are still taking applications). Or find local farmers and buy directly from them–often they will have farm stands, on-farm-stores, or will sell at the local farmers’ markets.
2. Find and support a local farmers’ market. Check LocalHarvest.org to find one near you, or ask your city or county where the new ones are.
3. Join or start a community garden.
4. Start a backyard or kitchen/container garden. Support seed catalogs that are independently or cooperatively owned, or that promote sustainable gardening practices. I really like the Seed Savers Exchange and Peaceful Valley Farm Supply.
5. Find a local grass-fed beef or free-range pig or poultry farmer. Buy eggs and meat from them, preferably in season or in bulk. A quarter cow, anyone? Also, find heritage meat producers here.
6. Spearhead a school garden program or locally-sourced school lunch program at your kids’ or a neighborhood school.
7. At the grocery store, buy what’s in season for your area (preferably organic). If you’re eating locally, you’ll have to. 
8. Contact your local/preferred grocer and tell them you want locally-sourced food. Get your friends to do the same. Sometimes a “deluge” of 8 postcards will do the trick. (True story.)
9. Patronize restaurants that use or feature locally-sourced ingredients.
10. Learn to cook simply and seasonally. Check out a cookbook like A Cookbook for All Seasons by Elson Haas or The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters. There are lots of others.
Also, there are lots of Earth Day events going on this weekend (probably a few today, too). Go to one and you’ll find lots of resources and local organizations, both for eating locally and sustainably, and for other Earth-friendly ideas and practices.
I’ve read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, and both of Pollan’s books. I found all three really interesting, and I’m taking baby steps towards eating more locally. Kingsolver’s experience with taking her daughter’s friend to the store and telling her why she couldn’t buy bananas was particularly enlightening. Thanks for the great reading list!
Comment by Shelah — April 22, 2008 @ 12:09 pm
wow, i really set myself up for a good chewingupandspittingout by saying i don’t like NT. i get it every time i deign to say some of the information is incorrect. please, everyone, disregard my statement and if at all possible, artemis, please just remove my comment. thanks.
Comment by chandelle — April 22, 2008 @ 12:23 pm
Well, I haven’t read the “info.” part, but I thought the recipes were helpful. I borrowed it from a friend. I’ll have to look into that other one.
Comment by Artemis — April 22, 2008 @ 12:28 pm
I like your energy Chandelle - and if it’s any consolation… when I read ‘NT’ - all I can think is neurotransmitter. *shrug*
it’s a great Tuesday sisters and brothers!!
Comment by Mary Magdalene — April 22, 2008 @ 12:30 pm
Chandelle, how’s this–I took Nourishing Traditions out of the main post and put in one of the Haas books. You’ve certainly got more expertise in this area. Any other recommendations?
Comment by Artemis — April 22, 2008 @ 12:36 pm
you didn’t have to do that. everybody in the world doesn’t have to agree with me. really.
now i feel bad. 
i do think that book by haas is more neutral, which is something everyone needs when they are just venturing into eating healthier. elson haas wrote the textbook (literally) on nutritional medicine and i’m embroiled in it now, around page 546 and just gettin’ started, and i have to write a 15-page paper this week about sugar…gahhhhhhhhhhhh.
Comment by chandelle — April 22, 2008 @ 12:41 pm
staying healthy with the season is the theory behind the cookbook.
slinking away now…
Comment by chandelle — April 22, 2008 @ 12:42 pm
We bought into a CSA when we lived in Southern California. Wonderful service. Amazing produce. I just looked at their website and their shares are entirely sold out.
Now we live elsewhere. Last year the closest CSA was a 30 minute drive each way with no delivery options. Not so earth friendly. Besides, they were really pricey.
I’ve tried to talk a local farmer into starting a CSA. No go. (Yet.) Last year I alternated between his farm stand and another one run by a cute little old couple and got plenty of produce between the two places.
Jump to this year…about a month ago upon checking localharvest dot org I noticed a new close CSA. We’re going back and forth over joining since it’s their first year and that could be a good thing or a bad thing. I guess we need to decide fast.
Here’s a suggestion for anyone who is on the fence…go to flickr dot com and search for “CSA.” Some people have photographed and blogged each week’s share and there are some spectacular pictures online. If that doesn’t have you immediately clicking over to localharvest to look up the nearest CSA, you may be a hopeless junkfoodivore.
Comment by Researcher — April 22, 2008 @ 12:57 pm
We’re members of the Utah Food Co-Op thru Crossroads Urban Center. Most of the items are local or free trade. VERY affordable, year-round and good quality. It’s a monthly order so we can adjust what we get depending on our needs, how our garden is doing, skip a month, etc. They have lots of pick up locations so most don’t have to drive far. For those who live outside of Utah check around–you may have a co-op in your state.
I like the CSA’s in Utah. But now that it’s just the two of us we don’t need that much. Plus we can grow some items in the garden.
Happy Earth Day/Week/Year/Life everyone!
Comment by Norma Linda — April 22, 2008 @ 1:58 pm
Quick question: I like the idea of eating locally (though shamefully considering their political heft, just purchased bananas yesterday since Muffin will eat them and is currently protesting his previously beloved home-canned peaches and other fruits) but how is it possible in all areas? For instance, what if we moved to Alaska? The growing season in Fairbanks is about 2 minutes long and I don’t fancy whale blubber. Right now I’m lucky to live in a place where eating locally is largely practical. But how can you do it in places where it might result in scurvy?
(And I will stubbornly continue to order my wheat from Montana, because Montana wheat is WAY better than the other stuff. it’s still within 500 miles though, I guess)
Comment by Janet — April 22, 2008 @ 2:15 pm
I absolutely adore you guys. I love it when you do posts like this, and hope more people start realizing how important eating locally is to our Earth. If you believe we have a stewardship over the Earth, it seems pretty logical to treat it nicely and not abuse it with pesticides, monocropping, growing things out of season, feedlots, and all the other agribusiness sins.
Comment by sarah k. — April 22, 2008 @ 2:24 pm
Janet, I just go “Four Season Harvest” by Eliot Coltman. It talks about growing in cold and freezing conditions. The guy actually doesn’t do any sort of preserving, but grows salad greens all winter in Vermont. So there must be a way, right?
As for your wheat thing, have you tried the Lehi Roller Mills wheat? I got just one bucket of the white wheat before we moved to Ohio, and now I’m sad that I didn’t get 10, because all the wheat I’ve found is yucky, but the LHM wheat was fantastic.
Comment by sarah k. — April 22, 2008 @ 2:28 pm
I just GOT…
Comment by sarah k. — April 22, 2008 @ 2:28 pm
Janet–Be a hybrid locavore. Alaska has great local salmon…. Buy as close to home as is reasonably possible. Join a buying club and buy bulk natural, organic foods that are shipped efficiently (you might check out Azure Standard for this). Buy more things that are canned, bottled, or dried, rather than quite so much fresh stuff that needs very quick transportation under climate-controlled (read: more fuel dependent) conditions.
I do buy organic bananas. Marigold just loves them. It’s one of our little exceptions, which I’m trying to keep to a reasonable minimum. Other staples that simply aren’t produced locally, but can be shipped efficiently, are perfectly fine. I suppose you could ask yourself if the goods in question could survive a trip from there to you on a sailboat. If so, it’s likely a better choice, planet-wise.
Comment by Artemis — April 22, 2008 @ 2:29 pm
I love the idea, and practice it as much as I can, but can’t give up my mangos!! Any suggestions for stuff that could never grow in Idaho. Also fresh salads in the winter, did he have a greenhouse?
Comment by Melissa — April 22, 2008 @ 2:44 pm
Artemis–I love the sailboat question. It does a great job of helping me envision reasonable compromise. DH and I had just been talking about this question in relation to the possibility of taking a job in Maine or Alaska one day. I figure it’s good to think ahead
sarah k–Thanks for the book recommendation! I’ll check it out.
Have you guys read In Search of the Wild Asparagus? It’s pretty old, but it’s got great tips on finding stuff to eat that’s not only local, but totally free because it could be, say, a weed. I’d eaten dandelions and asparagus gathered from ditches before, but I didn’t know i could eat my day lilies in a pinch! It’s a fun read and engenders an enjoyable renegade anti-shopping sense. Hee hee.
Comment by Janet — April 22, 2008 @ 2:49 pm
melissa,
most greens will grow in cold weather conditions, including snow, and actually prefer cold weather; broccoli, kale and spinach, for example, taste much sweeter after a good frost.
what many people do when a 100% 100-mile diet is more or less impossible to do year-round (as it is for most of us in utah) is to buy regionally. our guideline is that we stick with foods produced only in the western (coastal) half of the country. we almost never buy imported food. like artemis, the only exception we make is for bananas. our olive oil is from california, our grains are from oregon, etc. it’s not a perfect system but it has made us more conscientious of our food choices. in the summer we buy everything local that we can possibly get. we don’t eat animal products but there are a lot of local options for meat, dairy and eggs here in utah.
janet, a great cookbook with a good discussion of local wild foods is going wild in the kitchen, if you are interested. it’s a vegetarian cookbook but it can be adapted for meat-eaters. the library downtown has it.
of course, our goal above all is to produce all of our own food, or be able to buy all of our food from our neighbors, year-round. to do that, we’ll have to live in a different climate, which is fine by me.
Comment by chandelle — April 22, 2008 @ 3:03 pm
so pineapple is out?
mmm….not gonna happen while costco hast them for three bucks and they are scrumdidleyumtious.
i don’t have that kind of will power.
Comment by mfranti — April 22, 2008 @ 3:30 pm
that’s okay. i bought a crapload (yes, that is an actual measurement) of mangoes from mexico last week because they were $1 each. exceptions are okay from time to time. the point is that we’re conscientious of our choice and try to do as well as we can. consciousness is the first step.
Comment by chandelle — April 22, 2008 @ 3:32 pm
Chandelle
So if I planted lettuce, and herbs (basil, cilantro etc) in the ground, they would last through the winter? I would love that. Would I just plant the seeds in the fall?
Comment by Melissa — April 22, 2008 @ 3:54 pm
Thanks for this, Artemis! I just finished Kingsolver’s book and enjoyed it. One concern I have about eating locally and organically is that it’s way more expensive. Do you have any suggestions for finding reasonably priced organic, local foods? Preferably in Boston? Food prices are climbing, and it’s getting more difficult for me to justify such a high grocery bill.
P.S. I have been using my canvas bags, though!
Comment by ECS — April 22, 2008 @ 4:06 pm
My most inspiring friends are Raquel and Oliver. They inspire and motivate me daily! raquel = grittypretty.blogspot.com and oliver= urbanharvester.blogspot.com. I feel like support local busineeses and groceries are essential. Check out their urban farm.
ECS, if there is a trader joe’s in your area, maybe you could at least afford organic. I used to live in Southern California, so that was mostly local too. I don’t know if they stick to their areas.
Comment by susan — April 22, 2008 @ 5:18 pm
sorry about my grammar, I’m in the process of moving.
Comment by susan — April 22, 2008 @ 5:19 pm
susan - whoa, you know raquel and oliver in person? i love raquel’s blog and i’ve always wanted to meet her in person, but she seems too wicked cool for me.
melissa - basil is generally a warm/hot weather herb, so that probably wouldn’t work. pots would, though. for greens, you can indeed put them in the soil in the fall and harvest through the winter. i don’t know the specifics because i’ve never done it myself. but i know it can be very successful. i think those who do it might use a black mulch - certainly some sort of mulch - and also possibly row covers when it snows? not completely positive. there are several books and websites on the topic; google or search on amazon for “winter gardening” and “four season harvest.”
Comment by chandelle — April 22, 2008 @ 5:28 pm
ECS– that’s part of my issue too. When the regular apples are 1/2 the price of the organic ones, it’s hard for me to say yes to organic when feeding a family of 6. I try to buy whatever is organic and on sale. Usually there’s at least one thing, and it gets my kids (at least most of them) out of their apple, raisin, banana rut.
Comment by Shelah — April 22, 2008 @ 5:55 pm
Thanks for your advice Chandelle
I also have a friend who grows sprouts in her fridge throughout the winter. I’ll look into all that. That’s one thing I miss most in the winter is fresh greans.
Shelah-
I’ve talked to a nutritionist before about organic and some advice for budgets. She said if you can’t afford all organic, buy your proteins organic first, because a lot of the toxins are stored in a part of the protein. Then after that I once had a list of the dirty dozen, the 12 most toxic foods when grown commercially. I don’t have the list off the top of my head, will try to find it. But anyway if you have to pick and choose what you buy organic or what you grow yourself, pick from that list first.
Comment by Melissa — April 22, 2008 @ 6:34 pm
thanks! That’s good advice. I found this list of the dirty dozen:
Comment by Shelah — April 22, 2008 @ 6:53 pm
Here’s the EWG’s dirty dozen (most contaminated produce):
Peaches
Apples
Sweet Bell Peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Lettuce
Grapes - Imported
Pears
Spinach
Potatoes
So those are good ones for choosing organic, when budgets require it (as they often do). Another suggestion I like is to buy organic things that you buy a lot of–for us, that’s bananas.
Other good things to buy organic are peanuts (and PB), dairy, and meat. They’re more expensive, it’s true, but I buy less of them now and I feel healthier. But choose what works for you. Every little thing helps.
Other ways to make organic more affordable are to buy in bulk, buy seasonally (the abundance usually means they go on sale), and buy fewer processed items. For example, buy the bulk org. oatmeal instead of so many boxes of Cheerios. Don’t buy boxed mixes as often (you’ll eat fewer desserts, which I’ve found is good for me too). Buy less soda (talk about a markup!) and highly processed foods. And buying locally will actually help you save, esp. if you buy in bulk and preserve some of it (freeze, dry, bottle, can) for later use.
Generally, the closer to nature the food is, the less markup there is (no value added, etc.). You just have to plan ahead more. For example, I have a really hard time remembering to soak my beans the night before. Oh, and making your own also saves–I have a yogurt maker (which I love) and I make my own organic yogurt for half the cost–I just have to buy organic milk.
Comment by Artemis — April 22, 2008 @ 7:06 pm
Woops, cross posted. The dirty dozen is everywhere!
Comment by Artemis — April 22, 2008 @ 7:07 pm
Researcher - was your So Cal CSA in OC? if not, do you know of one in OC? I’d love to find one.
I just read an article in LA Times today about a low carbon diet. One thing it pointed out, however, is even if something is grown in California it may have been shipped to Massachussets (sp) & then back to suppliers in Cali b/c of shipping lanes. So while 99% of the time I buy all my produce & food at Trader JOe’s or Wild Oats & check the packages to see where the stuff is from, that doesn’t necessarily mean it hasn’t been shipped across the country & back again. Don’t know how you can get around that.
Comment by brittany — April 22, 2008 @ 7:08 pm
Also, here’s a good article on what items you can make priorities for organics and here’s an article with 17 suggestions for making organic more affordable. Also, the way to getting around inefficient shipping is to buy from a local farmer. Which is one very big reason why buying locally can be more eco-friendly than buying organic from the grocer. And cheaper.
Comment by Artemis — April 22, 2008 @ 7:22 pm
Sprouts are completely doable in the tiniest of spaces. And you can sprout a lot more than you might think–plus they’re really good for you and pretty tasty. Think beyond the one kind you locate fluffily sprouting in the produce aisle. I’ll post more about it tomorrow if I’ve got time, but I think the link to Mary Jane Butter’s farm I’ve got in my section of the sidebar has information on sprouting. It’s probably the easiest bit of urban gardening you can try.
I’ve successfully kept up greens all year round, though kale and sage are the only things that survived last winter completely. (I did not, however, use row covers). But you can have a nice pot of basil in your indoor windowsill year round, no problem. And you can’t kill sage if you want to; it is the cockroach of greenery. If you’re feeling skittish about your green thumb, start with sage and kale. You’ll be feeling all happygreenie in no time flat.
Comment by Janet — April 22, 2008 @ 7:27 pm
I’ll also chime in on cost–it’s a large reason we don’t buy more of our things organically. Fruit is one of the few foods my husband likes, and he plows through VATS of pineapple of mangoes every week. I think if I forced him to eat only local and organic fruits he would die of scurvy.
Maybe we should move somewhere tropical, rather than considering Alaska or Maine. Sigh.
Comment by Janet — April 22, 2008 @ 7:28 pm
Janet - I know for a fact Hawaii is lovely this time of year.
I’m putting “happygreenie” in my word vault.
thanks!
Comment by Mary Magdalene — April 22, 2008 @ 7:56 pm
Artemis
I agree that buying organic can be cheaper than we think. One example is I make my own granola with about 6 ingredients. It lasts about 2 weeks, and its much cheaper than cereal.
Comment by Melissa — April 22, 2008 @ 7:58 pm
chandelle,
raquel would love you! I guarantee it! She is one of the coolest, most inspiring people in all the world. She is mother earth to everyone, and especially to the very challenging Provo.
Comment by susan — April 22, 2008 @ 8:13 pm
There’s one problem with getting the quarter cow. We split a half cow from my husband’s grandparents’ farm every year, and there’s a heck of a lot of hamburger on that baby. You get a lot of high-fat content meat, and only one rib roast, one brisket, etc. Of course, with lots of kids, that’s probably great, but with two people, eating 300 lbs of hamburger is pretty daunting. We give lots away, and plan dinner parties with hamburger dishes. Incidentally, if anyone ever wants recipes to snootify ground beef into fancy appetizers, I’ve got them.
That said, it’s pretty nice to know where your meat comes from (and to feel justified in having a rare hamburger now and again.) It is apparently pretty easy to get a small-scale slaughterhouse to let you buy direct, even if you don’t have any personal connection to a herd of cows.
Comment by Beth — April 22, 2008 @ 8:17 pm
Brittany, we were in San Diego. It was called BeWiseRanch and if you live there it’s a great CSA. You can find a CSA in your area by going to localharvest dot org. There are lots of them in CA and the nice thing about CSAs in CA is that they have deliveries available year round.
Comment by Researcher — April 22, 2008 @ 8:29 pm
sprouts are awesome! we sprout constantly, all sorts of things from broccoli to alfalfa to garbanzos to lentils. i’m actually really trying to sprout all of my grains and legumes before use, or at least to soak them - it makes them far more digestible and reduces the enzymes that can block nutrient absorption. it’s pretty much impossible to screw up sprouting once you know how to do it, and you can put them on so many things. i’ve even put them in smoothies. they are a GREAT way to get important nutrients through the winter.
Comment by chandelle — April 22, 2008 @ 8:53 pm
i agree with what somebody (sorry) said up there: protein foods, especially animal foods, should be the first consideration when you’re trying to avoid chemicals in your food. fatty animal products are the highest in toxicity because the toxins collect in the fat. and the higher up the food chain you go, the more toxic your food becomes. however, PLEASE educate what “organic,” “free-range,” “cage-free” and so on really mean when it comes to animal foods, which is, essentially, very little. there is hardly any regulation or oversight on these labels the way there is with the USDA organic label on other foods. especially as regards animal treatment, these labels mean almost nothing. “cage-free” for example can simply mean that the birds are crowded into a concrete warehouse; whether they’re in cages or not seems pretty irrelevant when the birds are still crammed in with less than a square foot of space per bird. “free-range” can mean that the animals are still forced to live in feedlots for almost all of their lives, except for perhaps one hour a day when a door is left open. and all that “organic” really refers to is the feed. the best way to ensure that your animal foods come from reputable companies who truly do treat their animals humanely and allow them to live a normal life eating normal foods and free of contaminating chemicals, hormones, antibiotics and the like is to know the farmers that you buy from, actually visiting their operations and seeing firsthand how the animals live.
we’re a family of 4 on a budget and we’ve been buying about 99% organic for over a year now. (the only food i consistently buy non-organic is bell peppers. yes, they’re on the dirty dozen list, but the cost of organic bell peppers is ridiculously expensive.) we spend about as much as the average family of 4 and before food prices skyrocketed we often spent less. it *can* be done, if it is a priority and if you’re willing to make sacrifices in other areas (like not going out to eat very often). it requires care and planning, but it has worked for us very well in even the most destitute of times.
Comment by chandelle — April 22, 2008 @ 9:02 pm
sorry, that should say “PLEASE educate yourself…”
Comment by chandelle — April 22, 2008 @ 9:03 pm
If I have pink fuzzy stuff sprouting in the frig… is that really edible? I didn’t realize sprouting was an intentional sport
Oh sisters - I’m so far behind the curve on this. I’m gonna need Chandelle to teach Sprouting 101.
gotta love Tuesdays!
Comment by Mary Magdalene — April 22, 2008 @ 9:05 pm
Okay, So I am wondering if any of you guys are freegans? It was featured on Oprah a while back. Very interesting and something I have been wanting to check out! Let me know!
Comment by Sunshine — April 22, 2008 @ 9:13 pm
sprouting 101
Comment by chandelle — April 22, 2008 @ 9:13 pm
i really love the theory behind freeganism (though i’ve never watched oprah and have no idea what she would have to say about it!) but have never really tried it, i.e. dumpster diving and the like. i’m not squeamish but i don’t have a car. i don’t know how i would get stuff home and also i think i’d need a way to make a quick getaway should the need arise. so it hasn’t really happened, though i think it’s an awesome ideology that i fully support.
Comment by chandelle — April 22, 2008 @ 9:15 pm
Chandelle, so how do you sprout wheat and then make bread? Is that possible? Let me know! I need the help
Comment by Sunshine — April 22, 2008 @ 9:16 pm
i’ve actually really been wanting to do a post about sprouting on my food blog, since it’s one of the unsung wonders of eating healthy, cheap and locally (don’t get much more local than your own kitchen!). so thanks for the reminder! i’ll get crackin’ on that. MM, i’ll even call it sprouting 101 in your honor.
Comment by chandelle — April 22, 2008 @ 9:18 pm
most of the time with sprouted wheat bread, you first sprout the wheat and then dehydrate it, to maintain the nutrients, then you grind it up into a flour and make a bread. though, personally, i think a lot of the whole point in sprouting is lost if you then bake the bread instead of dehydrating; heat destroys the enzymes and nutrients that make sprouts so great. but it is probably, still, much more digestible to sprout the grain first rather than making it from inert wheat.
Comment by chandelle — April 22, 2008 @ 9:20 pm
Janet, (okay, others go easy on me) but if you go to this website and look for Basic H it is super for washing all pesticides and all other cides off fruits and veggies. I don’t buy organic..*shrug* I think that eventually a pesticide..etc.. is going to get on there for these reasons:
The shippers don’t want the product to go bad –spray–
The farmer is using water that already has remaining pesticides, herbicides..etc in it.
The store doesn’t want the produce to go bad –spray–
The farmer next to you sprays his food with the cides -spray–
Now, I don’t doubt that there are some farmers out there who actually get a lot of their product ‘cide free, but I just wash all my produce in this Basic H and it taste so much better.
*Artemis,
don’t yell at me, please…
Comment by Sunshine — April 22, 2008 @ 9:26 pm
Chandelle, ah ha~ in my minds eye I kept seeing the sprouts right in the bread, and i kept thinking where’s the flour? Now, I see the light!
Comment by Sunshine — April 22, 2008 @ 9:28 pm
No yelling. Promise.
But I’ve read several reports about lower pesticide residue and absorption by people who eat organics they’ve bought at the store. There was a really compelling one about kids who ate non-org. food, had their body pesticide levels of tested, switched to org. for a couple of weeks, had their levels tested several times, and then switched back and had their levels tested. The results were very dramatic–as soon as they switched to organic, the pesticide levels in their body virtually disappeared. Once they switched back, they shot right back up to the previous levels. FWIW.
Also, FWIW, I haven’t tried the Basic H, but I’ve read several places that white distilled vinegar diluted w/water will work just as well as the commercial sprays and is cheaper. If you’re looking for cheaper.
Comment by Artemis — April 22, 2008 @ 9:41 pm
the regulations for USDA certified organic are actually very strict. some contamination, i suppose, is inevitable, but there’s a very big difference between a food that has -cides in it all the way down to the cellular level - especially from plants like strawberries that practically marinate in the stuff from seed to harvest - and a plant that might have cross-contamination from something else being sprayed nearby.
Comment by chandelle — April 22, 2008 @ 9:46 pm
I am glad you mentioned co-ops and the link to find them. Thanks for your post. I think everyone should plant a garden as part of their “year’s supply”. We actually had some old magazines from the 30’s and 40’s and they talked about “Victory Gardens.” I wish we would have more of that propaganda in our media. Back then there was a real concerted effort to support yourself and use what is around you…albeit it was for the war effort, but it was good none the less.
Comment by Katie — April 22, 2008 @ 10:05 pm
Oh I totally believe it would be lower. It would be interesting to do that test on the Basic H. There are other good cleaners out there, but this (okay I am totally selling the product) is the best one I have found for the reason that the ‘cides have a chemical barrier that most produce cleaning products can’t break down. They do a good job but still leave the film on the fruit, whereas the Basic H gets clear to the core, so to speak. It’s pretty cool..but don’t take my word for it. I would recommend checking it out, and I will have to test that vinegar thing, sounds interesting.
Comment by Sunshine — April 22, 2008 @ 10:41 pm
(i’m going to sound lame, but i’m going to post this anyway!!)
i was watching oprah late last night as i record it on my DVR. on yesterdays show, they made a fruit/veggie cleaner with vinegar, distilled water and grapeseed oil. i think. i’m sure they have that recipe on oprah.com. after reading these comments i’m going to have to start making my own or buying it. they have “fit” at our commissary. does anyone know if that one is good?
Comment by Terina — April 23, 2008 @ 5:56 am
ok, i think it was grapeseed extract. not oil. i’m just retarded.
Comment by Terina — April 23, 2008 @ 8:47 am
Since Katie mentioned victory gardens, I will mention Square Foot Gardening (the author goes on about victory gardens).
I actually just bought a copy of SFG. That says a lot since I rarely buy books since that’s what libraries are for.
As I understand it, you use two 2×6 boards cut in half to make a four by four foot box, lay it down on top of some weed barrier fabric and fill it with a combo of one third each (by volume) coarse vermiculite, blended (five kinds) compost, and peat moss. Put a grid on top with slats and plant each of the sixteen squares with a succession of plants at the correct spacing.
Have any of you used his system? It seems to make a lot of sense and be a lot easier than the row gardening that my parents used. I have absolutely no desire to own a rototiller and if I can garden without spading up the yard or weeding constantly, I’ll have a go at it (but maybe next year for various reasons).
Comment by Researcher — April 23, 2008 @ 8:56 am
we’re using the SFG method. we do have a yard now but since we’re renting, we’re limited in how much space we can use for a garden, i.e. how much grass we can tear out for it. if it were up to me we’d have no grass at all. i have a big beef with grass! anyway, we wanted to be able to grow as much food as possible in as small a space as possible and SFG is definitely it. some boxes we have above ground but we couldn’t afford to buy a lot of wood for it so we just plotted out some spots in the ground, too. it seems to be working very successfully. i’m a bit disappointed because we just couldn’t afford to buy all that soil…we’re composting and using as much of the original soil as we can (a biodynamic thing) but it’s still a real strain (even more so without a car…have you ever tried to carry home a 50-pound bag of soil on the bus, much less five of them?). so we’ve only got a few boxes going. but it’s great! very easy and we’re definitely going to get a bunch. i’ve got twenty pea plants going beautifully now, a bunch of broccoli, chard, kale, beets, spinach, radishes and carrots, in less space than was formerly occupied by our basement apartment porch. i definitely recommend it.
Comment by chandelle — April 23, 2008 @ 9:02 am
We have been doing SFG for two years. It’s definitely the way to go for me. They are attractive-looking and easy to care for. Mine are 4×8 and are filled with the recommended soil-less mix. I know there is some concern about peat from an environmental standpoint, so I wonder if anyone has used something more local. Mine is 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 peat, 1/3 compost.
There was also a blog about eating local in SLC. It looks like it’s been abandoned, but it has a lot of good sources for local produce and meat. I wonder if it was abandoned because it’s your new part-time job. I think being partial localvore is a better goal for most of us.
I read an article (sorry, can’t find it) that recommended 1/3 vinegar and 2/3 water to clean fruits and veggies. I have it on a spray bottle by my sink (better check the bottle for BPA). The baking soda and grapefruit extract (from Oprah) sounds nice, but my son’s medications react badly with grapefruit. ( maybe something others should check).
Comment by sofia — April 23, 2008 @ 10:47 am
sorry about the link!
Comment by sofia — April 23, 2008 @ 10:47 am
Terina, from my experience FIT is good, but the have added chemicals which is something I am trying to avoid, plus it has a harder time breaking down the wax on the produce. That is where a lot of your ‘cides are at. IMO (In my opinion)
Comment by Sunshine — April 23, 2008 @ 10:48 am
Here is a link about grapefruit juice and medications.
Comment by sofia — April 23, 2008 @ 10:57 am
I give up. You can cut and paste:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/01/050124010803.htm
Comment by sofia — April 23, 2008 @ 10:57 am
[…] I’ve been outdone. Artemis of the blog Feminist Mormon Housewives has written a great little primer on slow food and local foods, with a number of resources I missed. And a fantastic discussion on […]
Pingback by More on Sustainable Foods « A Liberal Mormon — April 23, 2008 @ 6:54 pm
Just found this timely little article: BusinessWeek’s The Rise of the Locavore. I’m putting a link on the sideblog.
Comment by Artemis — May 22, 2008 @ 9:16 am