Green grocer

Lately, I have become very conscious of the food I eat, not only from a weight loss standpoint, but from an earth-friendly standpoint. I recently read The Omnivore's Dilemma (I also read The Botany of Desire, but it has slightly less relevance to this post, but I recommend both books.) and I was very much struck by the industrialization of so much of the food that we, as a society, consume. By the end of the book, I was fired by the idea of eating locally-produced and small organic foods on a more regular basis. But, as the author of TOD, Michael Pollan, discovered, it is not as simple as it might seem. Finding a source that is not "Big Organic", i.e. a producer that meets organic guidelines , but is still a mass producer, is not particularly easy. Local produce in Ontario is plentiful, but is very much a seasonal thing, so unless I am completely willing to give up fruit and many vegetables during the winter season, I am going to have to deal with most of my produce being trucked from milder climes. And I haven't found much in the way of a source for locally grown meats, although I am planning on keeping a sharp eye out on our trips up North this summer.

I found a company (based right here in Brampton!) that delivers organic and locally- grown produce on a weekly basis and decided to give it a try. We got our first "box" on Friday (the produce actually arrives in a large plastic bag--which is unfortunate. I plan on emailing the company about that.) and so far, so good. We got lettuce, English cucumber, bok choy, a giant hunk of ginger, a bag of red potatoes, plums, pears and Granny Smith apples, one hot-house tomato, a grapefruit and a mango. I used the bok choy and ginger last night and it was delicious. Believe it or not, I have never cooked bok choy before. That is another reason I decided to try this program out; I like the idea of getting stuff I don't usually try. The mango is another case in point. Now, I know that this is not even remotely local, but unlike the mangoes I see in the store, this one looks ripe and ready to eat. I will pretend it didn't use a ton of fuel getting here.

Of course, I can do custom orders if I want to get rid of the fruits arriving from the tropics, but I am not quite there yet. I also suspect that as we get into the Ontario growing season, I will see more local choices and that pleases me. In the meantime, I lay in bed last night planning my menus around the beautiful fresh produce that is in my refrigerator and fruit bowl. Tonight: organic salad with cukes and tomatoes with a ginger vinagrette and roasted red potatoes to accompany some stuffed chicken breasts. Tomorrow morning: Apple-cinnamon pancakes. And when the pears finish ripening properly, there will be gouda, mango and pears. Mmmmmmmmmmm.