You are what you eat…really:) we don’t have to worry about terrorists or asteroids, we are killing ourselves…:(
As we get older, it sucks doesn’t it;)…there are suddenly these questions of health. Up until a few years ago I pretty much felt I was immortal, yeah, silly isn’t it, but recently I’ve had to stop and think about what I was putting into my mouth and just how healthy, unhealthy it was…perish the thought but yes, went to the doctor for the first time in a year and we need to start thinking about that list of things, high blood pressure, cholesterol, etc…yuck!
We have always been pretty conscious eaters but it seems that is not enough. It’s funny, having everything so easy here in the US and Canada really makes you a bit lazy. In Baja we had to plan, and we grew a lot of our own food, and local produce was always available. Partly the wonderful climate but it was out there, easy to get and fresh. Here, it can been the same, but more work. The local store’s produce is far from fresh and sprayed with water to make you THINK it is fresh. I discovered recently that some of the local roadside stands that you think are selling “local” food are a hoax. They are unpacking wholesale boxes and putting it in small cardboard farm containers to make you think it is local, and whoa…at a hefty price as well. Those tomatoes looked a bit too perfect to come out of a field…that made me mad. Even if it is from Ontario, 400 miles away is not local and although they do not claim”local” their cute little farm stands along Highway 7 and the opposite The Shell station do scream that. Buyer beware I guess in this day and age.
We have an amazing local farmers market here in Perth as well as festivals through out the summer. The latest, the garlic festival at the Perth Fairgrounds was a feast for the…well…nose…it was garlicky alright…yum!
Not only an amazing array of garlic but food, fresh and baked goods as well as a wonderful Raptor Show put on by the Canadian Raptor Conservancy.
Eggs, well, I love eggs. Some can be good, some can be great but I love to get ours straight from the hens, more or less anyway. Out on the Franktown road there is a lovely lady, Marcy, who’s chickens spend their days roaming about the farm and for $4.00 a dozen, in the honor box, you get eggs from happy hens with beautiful golden orange yolks, priceless!
There is a local farmers market every Saturday morning at The Crystal Palace in Perth. The fresh produce this time of year is amazing. From small fingerling potatoes to fresh greens, tomatoes that SMELL like tomatoes and peppers that reek, of peppers! It is a wonderful spot to shop from stall to stall and take home something fresh, healthy and support the local community and farmers. As far as price, it is quite a bit less than the fake local stands and just so much tastier than the sad water sprayed produce the big stores sell.
What happened to us as eaters…why is out of a bag/box so much more popular than out of a garden? Is it time? It is our health and when I see the line ups at Costco’s and Walmarts around North America I do cringe a little bit inside…our healthcare systems are in crisis, heart disease, diabetes…most of this is all preventable, starting with what we put in our mouths. We don’t have to worry about crazies or terrorists killing us, we’re doing it to ourselves slowly. Read the packaging, understand what is in your food and cook…spend time in the kitchen, teach your kids to cook, not just open the ziplock bag and dump it in the boiling water, or take it out of the microwave…..just saying, we truly are what we eat:) a few more eggs and I may be sprouting feathers:) I always did want to fly:)
Great post, Pamela, and a good reminder to take more care about what we eat and learn where it comes from. We have an organic farm just up the road (amazing for Arizona) that I frequent when I can and fresh makes all the difference and, as you said, can’t prevent many of the diseases that plague our societ. Loved your photos, too, especially the garlic bulbs.
Thanks! You are lucky to have farms close by! We need to spend more time everyone, in the kitchen, laughing, loving, cooking!