My goals

After watching the dicoumentary Food Inc. I feel that I cannot ignore where my food comes from anymore.  Yes, I always knew that animals were not always treated well.  Yes, I always knew that many farmers gave their animals hormones for faster growth, and antibiotics for rampant illnesses...but I never knew the hows and whys until now.  I'm not going to give you all the ugly truths here, but I am going to share my experiences in trying to make a few changes. 

I've been wanting to live a more simple life for a while now.  We've been cleaning with only chemical-free products for years, I took hypnobirthing classes when I was pregnant, and I love to garden and grow my own food.  But, I am also a technology girl.  I would not know what to do without my mobile phone, roomy car, internet capability and multitude of kitchen appliances.  And, here's the hardest part for me...I have always LOVED to find the IT thing and have it first.  Like my petunia picklebottom diaper bag, my Gina Alexander photobag, and the perfectly preserved-to-last-forever wedding bouquet.  I love that I can order specialty items off the internet and have Funky Chuky Popcorn at my doorstep in a few days.  I've liked NOT having to live locally...and now I feel like I NEED to live locally.  Lots of changes if I am going to make this happen.

Now, I don't expect to make all these changes at once.  I never realized just how hard it is to trace the true roots of the food you buy!  I've been triyng to buy anything I can direct from the farmer at the local farmer's market...but sometimes either price or availability gets in the way.  And the bottom line is...if I don't have the money, I have to find another option.  And I never knew just what it meant to eat seasonally.  That, I think, has become the key to my journey...

I never knew what seasonal produce was.  I lived in an urban area where you could buy strawberries in December, tomatoes in January, and there were both asian and greek specialty markets for unusual spices and ingredients.  I loved to cook and I would cook with what I could find...which was anything!  But, something was lacking...now I know...that something was FLAVOR!  I was able to spice things up and tone some down, but the true flavor of food was just not there.

Here in upstate NY, seasonal can be difficult.  We have a very short growing season.  But, now that I know what strawberries handpicked from a field in the June sun taste like, blueberries fresh from the farmer's market in July, and the sweet taste of a fresh peach in August...I can never go back.  Now that we are transitioning into fall, we are hitting apple season here and I still remember tasting my first local apple when visiting my parents in September in NY (before we lived here) and thinking...THIS is an apple?  THIS is heavenly! 

However, my trouble will be heading here soon, as local produce is limited in the winters here.  Unless you want snow ice cream, you might be in trouble.  My plan for next year is to buy locally during growing season and freeze, but with my freezer lying dead in the basement, my winter plan this year may be bleak.  At the very least, though, it will be a time for research.

A friend and I were talking about what we were looking for in making changes.  The options if given a choice: local?  organic?  or both?  Obviously both is the best option, but if you have to choose, what is more important.  Still trying to figure that one out.  Although as I did my research, that is where the idea of "seasonal" came into play.  There are lots of books out there to help with that one...and I have to admit that I was not ever really aware of when certain produce was at its peak!  And seasonal for this Oklahoma gal is very different here in NY! 

So, stay tuned here to find out what I learn as I read up on various topics, try new recipes, and attempt new things...and comments, suggestions, and motivation is well appreciated!