I racked my brains (and the thesaurus) for a word that meant “helper” and rhymed with “dilemma,” but, alas, I couldn’t come up with any. So I just went with “assistant” and am going to jump into the main purpose of this post, which is to draw attention to the little number I added over to the right:
Like many of you have already done, I am slogging my way through Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma. I say slogging not because it’s written poorly or even that it’s a dull read. To the contrary. It’s because I find I can only process a tiny portion of each chapter at a time as my brain and my being digest all the complex implications of what I’m reading.
I’ve long been an advocate of eating food grown and raised as close to home as possible, but that’s not always as easy as it sounds. I’ve lived ten miles from the ocean and been powerless to find fresh fish available to buy. I’ve lived amidst lush, fertile jungle dotted with farms and been unable to find produce that hadn’t been sprayed by men wearing white HAZMAT suits. And now I live 20 miles north of Rosie the Organic Free Range Chicken and her friends, whom I assumed were happily wandering the hills of Petaluma. But when Pollan went to spy on them . . . let’s just say they didn’t get out much.
So I asked myself, “if not Rosie, then what?” My cheese lady, Doralice, presented one answer in her freezer case; it was a heritage breed that had been coddled from birth to butchering over the hills in Napa . . . and a 1–1/2 pound bird was going to put me back $18. I get that it’s a good bird. I respect those people for raising good birds and I respect Doralice for selling them. But I don’t have $18 to spend on a chicken.
So I was happy to find a link on one of my editor’s blog entries over at Cooking Light (nice entry, Tim!), which led to a site, eatwellguide.org, geared towards equipping people to eat more locally. Foodroute.org is another site that promotes eating local through their Buy Local Challenge, urging us to spend $10 a week or more on locally produced foods. And then there’s the tried and true localharvest.org, that leads you to farms, farmers’ markets, CSA’s and more in your area.
I found each of these sites to offer something unique and, as well as I thought I knew the purveyors in my area, each one brought new insight. So I’ll leave it up to you whether to read The Omnivore’s Dilemma from cover to cover. But do check out these sites and give a shot at eating more locally this summer. And I’ll let you know if I find a replacement for Rosie . . .
7 Comments
I checked out that link yesterday - a local beef rancher came up but he doesn’t sell anything locally.
Also - from a nurse - it is Hazmat
We have a local farmer’s market but it doesn’t start for awhile since we are in the mountains and our gardens are way behind you flatlanders.
My son and I just put in our tomato plants. Most of our veggies and fruit will come from my sis-in-law, who is putting in a huge garden.
The only other local farmer’s market is 75 miles away.
Thanks for the impetus to start making plans for more locally grown food.
steph
I have been dying to dive into that book, but one thing or another keeps me from having done it yet. I know that once I do, I will be guilt-ridden every time I go out to eat. I have gotten pretty good with my purchases (though no $18 chickens for me, either), but it’s at restaurants that I know that I fail. Anyway, I will definitely check out these sites - thanks for the links!
It can be hard to do but I always try to eat local when possible.
My wife and I bought a share at a local farm this year. We are only two weeks in, but already it has changed the way we eat.
I had never eaten Swiss Chard before but I find that I like it quite a bit. I’ll admit, I was quite skeptical, but so far the entire experience has been wonderful.
Steph . . . Dang it, and I even googled Hasmat. But I guess garbage into google, garbage out, eh?
Foodette . . . I was the same as you with the book–quite frankly, I was afraid that I’d just be so ticked off I wouldn’t want to eat again. But it really is more thought-provoking than banner-waving. And one thing I learned at the sustainability conference that was an a-ha for me . . . it makes a difference when we ask for sustainable food–at restaurants, at our fish and meat counters. The more the owners and managers perceive a demand for sustainable food, the more out of their way they’ll go to provide it.
Noble Pig . . . Good for you!
Steve . . . That’s FANTASTIC! I’d love to hear more about your adventures as the summer takes hold. And I really admire you for doing that–it’s a bold move, but such a rewarding one.
Hello Everyone,
I am Pat’s mom in Three Oaks, Michigan.
We are raising grass fed (and finished) beef on our pastures.
How do we join in the conversation as we have never blogged?
Janet and Bob Schuttler
Hi Janet . . . You join just like you did, you’re doing a great job so far! It’s great to have you here. I just wish you were closer to Healdsburg so I could cook with some of your beef . . .