Eating Local -

Thoughts From a Tried and True Omnivore.

Filed under: Green Living, Organic — Steve Balogh @ 5:05 pm

First go read The Omnivore’s Dilemma. I’ll wait right here.{toe tapping}

Good - now that you’re “informed”, we can talk turkey. Or chicken, or beef. Grass fed, that is.

When I finished The Omnivore’s Dilemma I took a hard look at what I had been consuming over my lifetime. How many gallons of high-fructose corn syrup had I swilled? When is the last time that I thought about what type of life the cow or chicken led, that I was about to consume. (Did I ever?)

I knew about eating local and saving unnecessary fuel to ship the food and to support local farmers, I am trying to eat organic. This book made me take my decision to a whole new level.

I really don’t want to write a review of the book, other than to say that I highly recommend it. I wouldn’t want to put too many pre-conceived ideas in your head.

My wife and I have made unexpected changes in our eating. We now shop at the farmers market on Saturdays. Our “big” food shop. Bread, meat, fruit, veggies. We get our CSA delivery on Tuesdays, which rounds out the vegetable department. After this we head to the local grocery store, Wegmans, which does have a large number of organic food products - we need our yogurt, grains, nuts, and chocolate.

Last week we spent less than $15 bucks on food from the grocery store, the rest went directly to the farmer, and the food was all locally grown and raised.

Man, is the food great!

Yes we have to plan ahead a little more, and we have to get up early on Saturdays now, but it is well worth it. We found a farm (Sweet Grass Farm) that brings in grass fed chicken, beef and locally and humanely raised pork - $21 this week for a broiler chicken, 1 lb. of bacon, 1 lb. ground beef, and 1 package of sirloin tips for shish kabobs.

We buy our eggs from a lady who says little, uses recycled egg cartons, and looks straight off the farm. $1.85/dozen for truly free range chicken eggs, and she has a line to buy them.

Loaf of delicious bread $2.

Veggies and fruit galore? It’s all there

.Dinner last night:
Local grass fed sirloin tips, with local green peppers, and an onion from a mennonite farm.

3 ears of early corn.
Fresh local wax green beans.
Dessert - homemade chocolate chip/peanut butter granola.

I’m not bragging, just excited.

It is a great feeling to know that you are eating healthy locally grown food.

Hopefully you’ll consider hitting your local farmer’s market this weekend for the “big” food shopping.