Going Local

After waiting and waiting for the start of the season, I finally made it the local farmer's market today! Perhaps I was a bit overexcited, but I am really enthused about starting my "local" eating efforts and by the farmer's market opening I can finally do that!

Because of the crazy rain we have had here in Central Illinois the farmer's don't have a ton to offer yet, but I did manage to snag some beautiful asparagus and rhubarb. Look at that color! I can not wait to eat the asparagus tomorrow; I plan on making asparagus risotto! The rhubarb I am saving for Mother's Day this Sunday to make a Strawberry Rhubarb dessert for my Mother-in-law. It will be so good!

My inspiration for wanting to eat locally when possible is a result of reading Barbara Kingsolver's book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Following her year long journey of only eating locally produced foods was life changing for me. She got me to think about the food I eat differently; how every item I buy that is not locally produced and not sustainable has an impact on the environment and my health. The amount of fossil fuel used to transport a banana- which does not grow locally here in the Midwest- from South America (or elsewhere) when they are out of season even here in the states has a real global impact on the environment for having that fruit available to me. In addition, the longer it is for the produce to hit my plate from when it is picked in the field the less nutrients available in the food. And non-organically grown foods actually have less nutrients to begin with since the pesticides and herbicides prevent the plants from producing their own natural "icides" in the form of nutrients. Those same antioxidants in the plant that help me fight off infection and disease are the same ones used in the plant to help it survive. By using chemicals on the plants less of those protective antioxidants and nutrients are produced.

The book fascinated me and I am committed to taking whatever steps I can towards eating a more local diet, both for my health and the health of the planet.

"Take a minute to study this creation – an imaginary plant that bears over the course of one growing season a cornucopia of all the different vegetable products we can harvest. We’ll call it a vegetannual ..."