Food Inc.

[TGDragonfly]

[youtube]5eKYyD14d_0[/youtube]

We joined a local Co-op in the area, a community supported farm that grows all organic produce. And you know what? Not only is it cheaper, but I can eat half as much and get twice the amount of nutrients. It's a simple life style change that is fun, and this salad I'm eating right now is GOOD.

If every family in the United States would eat just one day out of the month a locally grown organic food, we would save 1 million barrels of oil annually. At $70 a barrel, thats $70,000,000 we would not be sending to the middle east.

 

[RWK]

Thommy boy - Waaaaay ahead of you - I buy from the local farmer's markets all the time. I got some tomatoes growing in the yard, and we are getting a new state farmer's market less than 20 miles from my house. Local farmers come from all over the state and sell direct.

 

[Kristine]

We joined a local Co-op in the area, a community supported farm that grows all organic produce. And you know what? Not only is it cheaper, but I can eat half as much and get twice the amount of nutrients. It's a simple life style change that is fun, and this salad I'm eating right now is GOOD.

If every family in the United States would eat just one day out of the month a locally grown organic food, we would save 1 million barrels of oil annually. At $70 a barrel, thats $70,000,000 we would not be sending to the middle east.

yeah Thom!!!! Good for you!!!! this year is our first year at ramping up production into becoming a CSA farm. I hope to offer shares next year. This production year is: how much ground/plants and yield to feed a family of 4 every week X how many shares. I have 2 siblings and two families as guinea pigs this summer and I know I need to till more ground. (we have 20 acres)

I am not organic as our ground has not been certified. As small as I am, I am not sure the cost of becoming certified is worth it. I do not use chemicals so we are pretty natural.

and you're right the lettuce is very good right now as is the spinach.
bon appetit!

 

[shannonlovesflowers]

good for you for buying local..
We did that last year, but I didn't see it offered this year.. humm....

With that said, I don't think there is more nutrients. I saw a study on just that years ago and there may be no pesticides, but not more vitamins...

 

[RWK]

In food, the nutrients are the same whether it is grown locally, or shipped in.....raw or unprocessed.

It is the processing, preparation, cooking methods that rob a foodstuff of it's nutrient value.

 

[Kristine]

In food, the nutrients are the same whether it is grown locally, or shipped in.....raw or unprocessed.

It is the processing, preparation, cooking methods that rob a foodstuff of it's nutrient value.

thing is do you know what your food has been sprayed or irrigated with in a third world country like Mexico, Peru and CHINA????

I can tell you some of them and they were banned here a long time ago.

 

[TGDragonfly]

And most of the produce is harvested green and ripened by ethylene gas, yummy. My tomatoes are just starting to ripen, and my blueberry bushes are starting to darken too. I'm sorry, there is a HUGE difference in local grown.

 

[RWK]

You won't get any arguement from me on the 'goodness' of home grown fruits and vegetables versus imported from places like China, Peru, and other countries.

All I was pointing out is that a peice of fruit or vegetable has the same amount of nutrient whether it is grown in the US or grown elsewhere. Do the insecticides, ripening chemicals, added ethylene, fungicides, preservatives affect the nutritional value?......probably so.

 

[justducky2]

Last year, I happened to read Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollen....I had never been overly fond of meat, anyways, and it had kind of sickened me prior to reading the book, thinking about what I'm eating....well, I've been a happy vegetarian this past year, and never felt better! And I DO check where my fruits and veggies come from...and buy organic and local (great kale at the farmer's market this morning, I'm going to make kale chips!).

Not only is it good for my family, but you are right, Thom, it is good for the planet. It IS the power of one. If everyone thought about their consumerism, even the food that they're putting in their mouth, there could be a huge change.

Heard about King Corn?
http://www.kingcorn.net/

The China Study?
http://www.thechinastudy.com/

And of course, Supersize Me:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1432315846377280008

I have diabetes now....wish really hard I would have learned about this years ago....

 

[Dazeal]

CSAs rock. We also buy more local organic flowers than anyone else in the valley...which are the same farms/ we get our veggies from.

I am not sure about your CSAs, but ours delivers the boxes full of fresh veggies to our door, like the old milk man used to do.

 

[RWK]

I put it in the chat thread, I should have put it here instead. Mom and I went to a local market yesterday morning ( Saturday morning ) and found a load of fresh veggies - ended up buying 4 bushels of purple hull, blackeye, and crowder peas and 2 bushels of fresh butterbeans.

Will be going back next week for more as they had fresh squash, okra, tomatoes, lettuce, cabbages, and a host of other produce.

 

[justducky2]

CSAs rock. We also buy more local organic flowers than anyone else in the valley...which are the same farms/ we get our veggies from.

I am not sure about your CSAs, but ours delivers the boxes full of fresh veggies to our door, like the old milk man used to do.

For some strange reason, with ag being the biggest economic engine in my county, there is no CSA!!!! Bummer! But, I do frequent the Saturday farmer's market, and in downtown Sacramento where I spend my weekdays, there are two rocking farmer's market....guess it just makes me get out and walk!

That's great that you have the access to the local organic flowers and are the biggest buyer Way to go, supporting local....creating customer locavores...:headbang:

 

[shannonlovesflowers]

You won't get any arguement from me on the 'goodness' of home grown fruits and vegetables versus imported from places like China, Peru, and other countries.

All I was pointing out is that a peice of fruit or vegetable has the same amount of nutrient whether it is grown in the US or grown elsewhere. Do the insecticides, ripening chemicals, added ethylene, fungicides, preservatives affect the nutritional value?......probably so.

Exactly, that was my point as well