Picking fruit can be fun for all ages

You’ve heard that tune, “Summertime, when the living is easy”?  Well this is one season when it is also easy to eat local. 

I really look forward to summer meals… everything is so, well, FRESH!  Whether you are picking from your own backyard garden, or you have joined a CSA (the video in the link will tell you all about CSAs and how to join), or just frequent a farmer’s market on Saturday mornings, you can be eating food that is day(s) from the dirt. 

Not only does eating local food save fuel useage and help your local economy, but it usually tastes better since it is picked when ripe.  Getting the experience of picking on a farm yourself is priceless, and a really great way to entice kids outside.   If you have not already read The Omnivore’s Dilemma, check out our previous post.  The advantages to knowing where your food comes from are countless for your health as well as the health of our earth.

Watch out, though, because you (and your kids if you have them) will eat local fruit like candy.  We can’t get enough of the sweet blueberries this year… yum.

Ok, I know I am a little behind the times, but for anyone else who has not yet picked up a copy of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, by Micheal Pollan, this one is a must read. I checked it out from the library but just ordered a copy of my own just so that I can lend it out to my friends and family!
Pollan’ attention to detail and his inclusion of the social and political pressures that have influenced the food industry are impressive. This book gave me a great education on where our food is coming from and has inspired me to make some changes in my family’s diet. I cut red meat out of my diet for 13 years because of the environmental impact of the way most cattle are raised on CAFOs, yet that and other attempts at eating outside the mainstream completely fell by the wayside after my kids were born. For the last 6 years I have not been able to see beyond my need for convenience… I have become self-congratulatory over choices as simple as buying organic milk and mostly feel confused and trapped by the choices and ingredient lists at the supermarket.

Eating healthier food does take more time and money, and I will have to set priorities. But I am elated to finally begin a process of more informed decisions. Next time something does not feel (or taste!) right to you about a processed meal, listen to your instincts.