I think eating locally is starting to get easier despite the fact that we’re still buying at least 2 organic tomatoes (grown in mexico) at $4.99/lb every time we buy groceries. I will not be doing this anymore…because Mexico is far away and thus not local. I did go without tomatoes for about 2 months…but I still can’t completely stop eating it. There are too many dishes I eat that call for tomatoes and I just don’t like squash and turnips and parsnips and an entire assortment of veggies that are available in the winter season. Obviously if I had canned the summer produce I wouldn’t have this problem. But…I have many excuses for not canning including: school was driving me crazy and I was terrified of this toxin called botulinum toxin.
Except for oil, flour, rice, chocolate, coffee and some spices we’ve been eating local produce for nearly all our meals. I did experiment with local spelt flour and found it to be a good replacement for regular midwestern flour from King Arthur, but spelt flour is a bit too expensive for our budget right now.
One of the reasons I’m really looking forward to moving to Southern California is because of the food. There is a possibility that I can eat locally grown citrus fruits and bananas and avocados and have fresh cilantro all year round. Right now, I could just go out and eat the non local items like I am with tomatoes, but I can’t seem to do it. At some point last year I read articles and watched documentaries on the plight of banana workers. Google will yield many results. It really depressed me and I asked my husband if we could stop buying bananas. He had already given up avocados…so this was yet another item I was asking to give up. After he watched a documentary or two with me (Life and Debt depicts this issue quite well) he agreed. An added bonus to not eating bananas would be the elimination of fruit flies attracted to banana peals in our composter.
I am trying out all these challenges to test myself and for a bit of excitement…but now I have to grapple with all these moral issues to boot. I find it difficult to eat a freakin’ banana now because I have the image of banana workers getting beaten by cops for asking for higher wages.
I’m looking forward to berry season. I’m sick of eating apples.
I was going to ask you how you survive eating locally during the dark seasons! I bought some mexican avocadoes at TJ’s - they were horrible. thank goodness chinatown is starting to carry california avocadoes. i too am sick of eating apples and oranges! one can only eat a red or some other variety every single day for several months. i’ve given up bananas too but caved on the mexican strawberries - not very tasty - they were red, big and plump but a little on the tart side.
if i didn’t have class and a little more flexibility, i’d go to the cheaper farmers market on sundays and buy my produce there while stopping at the library. but even with mass transit, it takes me 45 minutes to get to and from and it’s like two train stops …
Comment by sfordinarygirl — March 20, 2008 @ 7:24 pm
I am so with you about tomatoes - I love them to pieces. Can’t wait for the season. I am growing them too, just in case (of what, I don’t know). But so far, we have managed to buy produce only at farmer’s market, oh except bananas, which entirely is my husband’s fault, since I don’t even like bananas. I think the Dark Days challenge is really quite easy in California. We still get tangerines, oranges, and kiwis, not to mention 50 kinds of vegetables, some of which I still don’t know the name.
Comment by CindyW — March 21, 2008 @ 12:37 am
BTW, I just noticed your Stop F*cking logo. Very creative. Nice. How about do another one - Can’t stop f*cking? get fixed
Comment by CindyW — March 21, 2008 @ 12:39 am
BTW, I just noticed your Stop F*cking logo. Very creative. Nice. How about do another one - Can’t stop f*cking? get fixed
That’s a great suggestion! I think this blog is getting a bit crowded with all these logos however…Maybe after the dark days and freezing my buns challenges are over I will create a logo with your suggestion.
Comment by Beany — March 21, 2008 @ 4:36 pm
SF: I just read on ethicurean that strawberries are in season in SF as are asparagus. I have not seen organic, local ones here yet but I am waiting.
Comment by Beany — March 23, 2008 @ 7:36 pm