Less meat

We are getting a lot of produce from our CSA and meat, the variety we are now choosing to eat (pastured), is very expensive. As a result, we are going to be eating less meat. I am not too sure how my husband is going to deal with this since he tried sneaking in "real pepperoni" when I was making calzones the other night. I used the veggie variety...HA! I have to admit, it wasn't as good as the real deal, but I was able to fall asleep that night.

On the meat note, I have located some pasture-raised pork off island that is available and our local beef will be processed in two weeks. Check check!

I have also decided to join our local food co-op since they feature a lot of local products and I have made a list of what local farms have to offer, so if I need something, I can head to one of them. I haven't done a BIG grocery shop in 2 weeks. Our purchases have been limited to coffee (fair trade and shade grown), milk (farmer owned), orange juice (our little one is sick), beer (husband's) and hard cider (me!). I will be making a rather hefty purchase of local cider here in the near future.

Oh yes, we just got our newly purchased cheese making kit!!! Trial run on Saturday. Woo Hoo!! We are going to make pizzas with our homemade mozzarella. Yum!

Food Inc

I have come to a personal revelation recently that I grew up as part of a "cellophane" generation, everything came in a box or wrapped in cellophane and very little attention was given to what was inside those wrappers. I think the understanding was that nothing would be put on the shelves that wasn't good for us. Wow, could I have been more off target?

After watching "Food Inc" with my husband last night, we both walked out of the theater completely stunned. For starters, I highly suggest seeing this movie it contains information that you HAVE to know. Our food is merely a commodity with little thought given to its actual purpose, to feed and sustain us.

I know I have a lot more to say on the subject, my head is just bubbling over after seeing this movie and I think the part that bothers me the most is the actions of Monsanto. After just saying that, there are so many parts that are troubling: the story behind "Kevin's Law", Factory Farming, Genetic Engineering to name just a few. I need to come back and revisit these topics after a couple of night's sleep to think about how I am going to process what I have discovered.

One thing though, we walked into a local grocery store after the movie to get some coffee and my husband immediately reached for the "Fair Trade / shade grown" options. So sexy.

Ok, I am off to the Farmer's Market!

Chicken

Houston we have a problem. I went to buy a chicken and it was...$30!!! I may have failed to mention that we are on a budget before, but WE ARE and it does not allow for $30 chickens. I am pursuing Plan B, which I do not have just yet.

Getting started

So, I am not going to be creating a root cellar for the winter and subsisting off of what we have saved (nothing, except for some berries), but I am going to start with the following:

1) purchase produce from CSA until Nov. and from the local Farmer's Market which will be twice a month at that point,

2) buy in on a locally-raised steer that was grass-fed,

3) bake my own bread,

4) attempt to make cheese within the next month,

5) buy organic produce that is from Washington or Oregon,

6) buy local organic chickens, eggs and milk,

7) seek out a pig to split with someone,

8) purchased coffee will be fair trade and organic,

9) purchase flash frozen salmon from local fisherman.

I have also decided to add some items in the EXCEPTION area, these are there because I have a 2 year old and I have to make sure he gets the vitamins he needs to thrive. While these items are BIG on the DO NOT ENTER HERE list, I feel I have to get them.

1) Bananas - I will buy organic, but they will not be from here (obviously). He needs potassium and it is difficult to get this in other forms. Also, we need them to keep the diaper happy since he is a fruititarian and loves berries, need I say more?

2) Orange Juice - I get the OJ that has calcium, Vitamin D and A added. He is not a big milk drinker and since we live in a place that is cloudy a lot of the time, we need a little extra D.

We are already doing most of the listed items, I just have to explore cheese making and acquisition of the pig. Nice. Ok, the bread is done...ding!

CSA

I love my CSA, really I do. However, I am sometimes at a loss. What do I do with 3 leeks when it is 80+ degrees outside? Or how can I effectively use 2 huge daikon radishes in 3 days? Fortunately, this week when I picked up my 3 leeks and 2 lbs of delicious potatoes, I noticed it was raining. I am going to channel Julia Child and recreate her infamous Potage Parmentier.

Food for Thought

Over the last decade, or so, I have had little blips that made me "watch what I eat". The first was in my Organic Chemistry class at SDSU in 1994. We were discussing the chemical make up of aspartame, a methyl ester of a phenylalanine / aspartic acid dipeptide (thanks Wikipedia). This is also known as Nutrasweet and Equal. At the time, I was learning about this chemical, I had a cup, strike that, vat of Diet Coke in my hand. While I would like to say this made an immediate impact on my decision to finish my beverage, it was hot in the room and the addiction was already set, so I had to finish it.

It wasn't until quite a few years later, when I was on a trip where you were not allowed to bring soda on board the ship since you would be creating extra trash, that reality really hit me. I went without the first day, then I had a blinding headache, which led me to my duffle where I had snuck one on board. Seriously, I hid in my sleeping bag and cracked it open and slugged it down. Not a pretty picture. When we returned to shore, I cut myself off. I am sure the headache was due to a lack of caffeine in my system, but the diagrams from yesteryear came back to me and I knew I was going to cut myself off.

Then I became pregnant with our son in 2002. As mothers-in-waiting know, you can become a bit obsessive about what will actually find its way to your mouth. No more caffeine. No more high fructose corn syrup. No more processed flours. This all sounds good, right? I was ON it! Then our son was born and it was all about what would actually go into his mouth. Overall, we have been pretty good, farmer's markets, CSAs, whole foods, this summer we even started our own garden.

This week my husband and I watched "King Corn", my reading group's selection of the month is "Vegetable Animal Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver, and last month was "Julie and Julia". So you see, I have food on the brain and I am trying to figure out what to do with all of this information. Do I start a movement for eating locally with local moms? Do I put my family on a 6 month corn hiatus (I love a challenge)?

We live on a beautiful island in the Pacific Northwest where farm goods are available and it is possible to have a garden in your yard. So if we cannot make it happen here, can it happen anywhere? So I am pondering how I can provide good, healthy, delicious, local food for my family, regularly and I have a lot to learn. This will be a log of that journey.