Teich.Net :: All In

This post was supposted to start with evidence upholding the adage that the things you work for — in my case this weekend, berries picked in the hot sun and plums I climbed a tree to reach — are more satisfying than something more easily gotten, say, from a grocery store. Then Oren and I got to debating the idea. Then the post became a he said, she said. But the discussion, abreviated, sounded trite. So here I am, left with telling you about the history of what this post almost became.

Quality and provenance being equal, maybe you, like Oren, would choose to buy fruit rather than pick it, or eat out rather than cook, but when time permits, I still find it tremendously gratifying to harvest and make my own food. Maybe it’s my feminine gatherer instincts. Maybe it’s just the mark of my mother, long-time queen of hard labor to produce all manner of edibles.
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My new vegetable garden — that genteel little plot in back with the nice red paths that was so recently just dirt — has exploded with edibles. With the exception of the sugar snaps, of which there are barely enough, and the tomatoes, which aren’t yet bearing fruit, it’s a bit out of control. I may be on the verge of actually turning green with all the salad I’ve been eating, daily, from the biggest mixing bowl I own. People at work are starting to ask what’s with the lettuce. I can’t give this delicious organic salad mix away fast enough. Of course I want it to go to a good home, where it will be appreciated, but soon it will be going to anyone who will take it or, worse yet, to waste. If you know me, and I haven’t yet tried to push greens on you, and you want some, please ask! Otherwise, creative suggestions for what to do with salad greens besides, well, salad?

This is not another depressing post about the problems with our food production current system. (If you’re scratching your head in confusion, read about The Omnivore’s Dilemma, or better yet, read the book itself.) Rather, today’s post is about one positive and rewarding way that I’m dealing with this information: I’m eating what is best described as uber-local, at least for this dinner.
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Being a huge fan of The Botany of Desire, when I heard a recent interview on NPR about an new book by Michael Pollan, I immediately ordered it.

Following four meals literally from start to finish, it provides an amazing insight into the way the american food industry works.  From corn and it’s life, to the meaning and value of organics in an industrialized food production world, he brings a wonderful and informative view on how our food makes it’s way to our stomachs.

I’m now about 1/3 of the way through the book, and felt compelled to post something about it immediately. I don’t know where to begin frankly. It’s so packed with interesting/scary information that any place I start makes me simply want to copy some pages straight. Kate @ the Accidental Hedonist has opened my eyes to the world of HFCS, but I didn’t understand just how strongly tied to corn we were until I read the first meal: a fast food dinner eaten while driving in a car.
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The “Localvore” movement - based on the lifestyle/challenge/whatever-you-want-to-call-it of choosing to eat only local products - has taken an interesting, in some ways inspiring, guiding principle to the extreme. Extremes aren’t always bad, but I won’t be cutting all of the imports from my diet any time soon. If you want to know why, Amy, of the blog Cooking with Amy, has perfectly nailed my objections in her recent post on the subject.