Friday, February 26, 2010

Shifting Views of Consumption

Ok, so I have been pleasantly pleased and disgusted at the same time this week.
Between Brian suggesting that I watch Super Size Me to help curb my addiction to McDonalds, Alex pointing out research showing some good things Walmart is doing, and Dom mentioning big business using alternative energy, I am juggling preconceived notions with tidbits of "Really?!"
I had already sworn off Mickey D's for a couple of months now, and before that I had drastically limited my Golden Arches diet already: I went from eating anything they came up with, to only eating off of the breakfast menu, to only consuming the hash-browns and Coca-Cola.
For a long time, I have noticed that McDonald's Coke tastes sooooooo much better than anywhere else. However, that is a thing of the past as high-fructose corn syrup is cut out in all forms now...
Then I watched Super Size Me, and let me say, I WAS eating during the film. Bad idea. I used to joke that the film made me want to go to McDonalds, just to playfully get under the skin of my more activist friends. At that point, I had never seen the movie, and now I can barely even look at the sign: my mother drove me to the airport yesterday and she began to make a right-hand turn into the McDonalds in order to expedite the overall traveling process. She was only doing what she thought was right as far as what Jeff liked to eat. Being in my early morning zombie-like state, I kind of snapped at her about never eating there again. I felt bad, but we both talk about eating habits more now so it worked out. Just as Alex mentioned in her post about being pleased at her parent's local eating habits, my mother had long ago made the switch, minus a few things. I also had the chance to re-watch Food, Inc., which is a great movie in my opinion. Industrial farming is huge in Kentucky and elsewhere in the region so it hit home (no pun intended).
What is really interesting about the Walmart's of the world (Jeff speak for big corporations in general) taking on greener practices is that people are starting to take this stuff seriously. We covered this issue in Susan's Environmental Justice course last semester: is it a good or a bad thing that big companies are "green-washing" when they market themselves? I personally think as long as they are backing up their claims, who cares WHY they started acting more environmentally responsible. All this stuff is making me think seriously about environmental law; attempting to hold big business responsible for their actions sounds like hard work and an incredible adventure.
I am open for suggestions on other films and documentaries, one of my greatest joys is watching movies!
Until next time...

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Wal Mart: Not as Terrible?

I thought you all (and maybe Jeff, in particular) might appreciate this article on how Wal-Mart actually can do some good in some communities. However, I wonder how many local stores (that already had fresh produce, etc) it drove out to become the only store in a geographic space to have certain healthy products?

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

local fish


Hello everyone!
Ok so last wed I went in for surgery. Last tuesday I had a feast. My boyfriend and I made this low fat/garlic/shrimp dish. I decided I'd actually buy the fish locally rather than buy a bag of frozen shrimp from Trader Joes. I went to Yankee Lobster Fish Market. sigh..I did not take the T, or ride my bike, but drove the smaller of our 2 suv's. (I know. I know. I was in a huge rush...)The shrimp was not that much more about 11 dollars from the market rather than 7 from TJ's. I asked the guy at the market where the shrimp came from, he looked at me with a blank look on his face.."um.. the ocean." Wow. thanks guy, I was wondering if they were from the Boston harbor or what? I asked another and they said probably Maine. Well some parts of Maine are within 150 miles. I guess I will have to settle for being less bad. It's hard to get to the bottom of where things are from unless you pluck them from the earth yourself. I also went to a cheese shop down by haymarket in search of some light cream. I asked for the most local I could find, but they were not sure, I did find some butter made out in Carlisle,MA and bought that. I don't even need butter. I rarely even use it, but it was locals so I bought it. HaHa maybe I greenwashed myself. But I then forced myself to buy some bread, from some shop in the North End, where it was made. So garlic bread and shrimpy pasta. While wondering back to my car, I found some wine that was made in Nantucket. I was on a roll. I was so local. Then I got home and realized I could not have wine if I was going under the knife the next day. I am still on 2 pain killers every 6 hours so it will be a while before I can enjoy my vino, but they say good things come to those who wait. As for my meals the rest of the week, 4 bags of fluid Iv from the hospital, chicken broth, and lime Popsicles, and plain blueberry waffles. And Jello Seth, my boyfriend bought the boxes of Jello instead of the ready made cups, which made me happy, but it was my guess that he just did not know that you could buy jello already made in the dairy isle. And bottle upon bottle of G2 gatorade and ginger ale. I'm not sure if they could be local, but I am fortunate enough that my boyfriend will go to the store at all hours and get one of those ingreadents I can't bare to tell him to get the biggest bottle to reduce packaging...etc. I'll work on that in the future.

Hello, Dream Store

While tootling around the blogosphere I discovered this amazing grocery store called Unpackaged. Everything comes totally packageless (opposite of the foods currently in my cupboards!)—from the classic bulk foods like dried fruit and nuts, to products that are usually smothered in plenty of layers of plastic and cardboard like toothbrushes and “Biodegradable Nappies & Baby Wipes.”

They have any spice you could ask for, cacao nibs and goji berries, carrot cakes and fudge, organic yogurt and hummus, salads, cheeses, even wine! And it all comes without wasteful packaging. You bring your containers of choice from home and the friendly people at Unpackaged fill them up with delectable treats, all without the eco-guilt. I am so jealous of the Londoners who get to make this place their everyday food shop.

Since I’m not lucky enough to have such a dream store in my city, I think I need to take on the challenge proposed by Bea of The Zero Waste Home (shared with us by Myriah): refuse! How many times have I kept my mouth shut when the cashier at Rite Aid automatically puts my single nail file and mini box of cold medicine in a cavernous plastic bag? Somehow I feel like I’m going to offend them if I say no thanks to the bag after they’ve already taken it off the rack and fluffed it out. And part of me is afraid they’ll think I’m a judgmental eco-snob by refusing to take a bag.

Huh? Writing this now, I realize how crazy this is! Why is it so hard to say no to this stuff? I haven’t even gotten to the point where I’m passing up wine at a party because the host is serving it in disposable cups (the Zero Waste lady does this!). But I like this added wrinkle to the problem of consumption. I think it will help me think harder about what I actually need, as well as what I genuinely want. If avoiding waste means planning ahead, it also means less immediate gratification. I don’t think our culture could hurt to tamp that down a little. What if one day, after sidling up to a cafĂ© table, the server asks, “What would you like to drink?” and the next question isn’t about appetizers, but rather, “Where’s your cup?”

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Do food miles matter?

Check out this interesting article challenging some of our assumptions about food miles. (Click on the title above to be taken to the article.)

A Photo Essay on English Muffins

Charlie punched down the dough and helped cut out the muffins before their second rise. Since we made salt-dough Christmas ornaments, he knew all about balling up the extra dough and rolling it out again, but ... he was most excited to be "doing a project" with me.

Bronwyn did her bit by playing with her IKEA abacus while rockin' her Led Zepplin onesie (one of her many hand-me-downs = up-cycling).

Cornmeal-dusted english muffins ready to rise again. Ironically, even with gourmet ingredients ... these things still cost much less than Thomas's.

Yum! The smell of cooking griddle cakes is over-powering my kitchen, even in my dreams.

Success! My three-year-old eating a fresh made English muffin from his mom's kitchen. Full disclosure: He hasn't eaten one from his school lunch box yet.

I stored the rest in a ziploc (re-used from baby food storage) and they stayed nice and fresh--and creamy!!--at room temperature for almost a week. More full disclosure: I am not sure if they'd last longer because we ate every last one.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Busted!


This weekend, my sister and I went to Kripalu, a yoga retreat center in the Berkshires. We were enrolled in a program called ‘Cultivating Tenderness’ where we would learn to deepen our compassion and learn to transform judgment through yogic practice.

Kripalu is known for restorative yoga but we go because of the food: unbelievable, organic, vegetarian fare that is weird (lentil loaf), wild (vegan gravy) and scrumptious (raw chocolate mousse pie). Psyched for dinner, we pile our plates with spring green gumbo, millet cauliflower mash and arame, kale salad. At the beverage bar, they have two choices: ceramic mugs or paper cups. In tandem, I reach for a mug and my sis grabs a paper cup. I shoot her the Myriah-death-scowl. She rolls her eyes.

We sit down and my sister says smugly, “Don’t judge me.” I pause, mull over my kale and sit in my muck. As Buddha suggests, just like water, if we let our minds sit undisturbed the mud and muck will eventually settle to the bottom. My muck is a great environmental dilemma: How do we go about making choices for ourselves while also being non-judgmental of the people around us who make different choices?

Environmentalists get judged all the time: dirty hippies, crunchy communists, tree-huggers, liberal wackos, pot-smoking protesters. Non-environmentalists get judged too: tie-wearing consumers, truck-driving republicans, climate-change cynics. You get the idea.

I’ve noticed that my sister liked me better when I was indifferent about the environment. She thinks my bike-riding and green grocery bags are bizarre if not clichĂ© and she taunts her paper-product over consumption to spite me. I swear, she took that paper cup knowing it would get under my skin.

So, do we state our opinions or do we stay non-judgmental? It’s a fine line. If I judge my sister for buying paper plates instead of doing dishes should I nod and laugh as we discuss her take-out dinner routine? Or should I frown in disapproval and lecture her about being lazy and wasteful? Reserving judgment can be very challenging.

Some people state their opinions in a way that demands agreement, by being critical and vocally disapproving. However, being non-judgmental does not mean staying silent about what we believe, it simply means acknowledging that others can believe differently. Viewing differences not as a problem but as something to celebrate might be the best way to lead without judgment. Certainly in the case of my sister and me, it’s what strengthens our sisterhood and ultimately makes us better yoga-goddesses.

Photo: My sister, Shannah, with a paper cup @ work.

February Break

I rushed home after work on Friday, 02.12.10, excited about the upcoming week off.  I had a lazy weekend of sleeping in and watching movies with friends.  

Sunday night I went to the Museum of Science for the Harry Potter exhibit, which was AWESOME, I'd like to add.  Bryan and I marveled at how many people were throwing away recyclables even though there was an evident recycle bin directly next to the trash barrel.  Typical.  After the museum, we went to a small pub called Atwoods, which supports local music, food, and drink.  

Monday, I spent the better part of the day traveling by BoltBus to New York City.  I met up with Alex in Manhattan and traveled to Brooklyn by way of subway.  She gave me a short walking tour on our short walk back to her parents' home.  That night, we had perogies, cheese blintzes, and homemade bread.  Although some of the ingredients may not have been locally grown, the food was purchased at local businesses.  This supported my sentiments about supporting local business.  

Tuesday, Alex and I traveled by BoltBus to Balitmore, MD to visit my sister.  As we entered Baltimore city limits, it was shocking to see the number of boarded buildings, condemned, and abandoned.  I almost didn't believe we were in Baltimore, and I kept talking about The Wire, an HBO television series about Baltimore "streets".  We stayed at a hotel, Hilton Garden Inn, in Harbor East.  This is a recently developed area on the inner cusp of the harbor.  My sister gave us a short driving tour of the area where we came across dumpster trucks filled to the brim with snow.  There was a line of them, probably six or seven long, turning right in order to dump the snow into the harbor.  In fact, there was so much snow and the city so wholly unprepared that dumpster trucks were called in from as far as Albany, NY.  Talk about a footprint.  

After checking in to the hotel, we walked toward Fells Point in search of food.  Along the way, boutique shops lined the street.  A small store caught our eye where I purchased a locally made shell and beaded necklace, but spent entirely too much money on clothes.  The Mexican restaurant where we ate was small but the food was great.  

Wednesday, Alex and I trekked to Washington, DC to meet up with Brynn.  We hopped on the MARC train ($7!!!!) and walked by the capitol building to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum.  After taking touristy pictures, we ate at a local restaurant, Busboys and Poets, which prides itself on being socially conscious and ecologically conscious.  

Thursday, we went to the Baltimore Botanic Gardens, which is volunteer-run, and Alex gave an impromptu lesson on epiphytes and plants that make their own ecosystems.  We also visited a very small farmer's market/co-op somewhere in Baltimore.  We got two Pink Lady apples, locally grown, and I noted what types of produce were available during winter.  Local cheese, milk, and bread was also available for sale.  We spent the rest of the day in the aquarium and learned a thing or two about jellyfish.  It was interesting to know that jellies flourish in more polluted areas, such as the Gulf Coast and coast off New Jersey (coincidence, I think not).   


Class is almost over... to be continued...

Sunday, February 21, 2010

A Week of Awesome

Hey all,

This week has been a pretty packed and awesome one for me. Eating good local grub all week and playing lots of music with my friends have kept me in great spirits. Yesterday, I went to the Good Foods Co-Op down the street from my home for the grand re-opening. Two guys playing the fiddle made me grin from ear to ear for about 20 minutes. I then proceeded to sample everything free they could offer, making a small meal out of it. This was great considering the $9-$12 plate of food from the buffet, depending on the weight of the plate. I filled one up anyway even after the samples! After eating, I milled around the store some more, talking with people who had set up tables with their wares or organizations to represent. I stumbled upon one gentleman whom I swear was put there for me to meet by a higher power; I have decided to take a faith-based approach to my action project, and the man I spoke to has plenty of experience in that field! Jim Embry is the founder and director of the Sustainable Communities Network, a group that works with all kinds of organizations to build sustainable communities from the ground up. They specialize in "Sacred Earth" connections, environmental health, social justice, community empowerment and economic prosperity. I began talking with him about my ideas or the action project, and the church community I am part of. His eyes lit up: he not only knew my church, but someone in Calvary Baptist Church that was currently working on a degree in sustainability practices! I forget the exact title of the degree she was pursuing, but we exchanged contact information, and she plans on connecting me with others in the local community and resources that could help me along the way. As for Jim, we not only exchanged information, but he also suggested that I work on getting people from my church to join him at the Bluegrass Food Security Summit on March 18 and 19th, in which the Kentucky Council of Churches is a big part of. I think my action project could catapult me into some real long-term community action/organizing in the future beyond this semester and degree!
Needless to say, I am pumped. I did not know these venues existed, and I am finding that there is an entire network of people that could point me into the right direction for real action. I also plan on attending the Community Gardening Workshop meeting March 13th....
This could lead to some really cool stuff! Also, a book I would like to suggest to the class. I am sure that some of you ambitious fellows may have already heard of this book, but it is really neat; The Sustainable World Source Book is a clever and helpful guide to making steps towards a sustainable lifestyle, and what realistic solutions and action ordinary people can take everyday. Check it out, it is a good resource I think.....

All My Dad's Farmer Friends

I went to the Grand Army Plaza farmer's market on Saturday with my Dad, who is now retired and volunteers at the market. One of the most striking things about the market is the strong community ties between the people who work there and the customers.


I met all of my dad's farmer friends, including the Flying Pigs guy, the Mycomedicinal (Mushroom) guy (who is my favorite and grows an incredible range of different mushrooms and gave me some red popcorn kernels just because he is a nice person) and the turkey guy. In fact, everyone there has their own interesting special varieties of food we thought we knew well (blue potatoes, purple carrots, yellow and purple broccoli).


Despite the weather (windy, freezing), there were a lot of people shopping and hanging out. People bring their dogs and kids and they run around, having a good time. I know that the stands are in it for the business, but there's also a lot of food that gets given away- kids get free things and dogs get scraps of things and often, if you go there frequently, they'll just say, "you can pay next time," if you know them really well.


I bought a lot of these Brussels sprouts, because they are incredibly delicious. You cut them in half, brown the cut side and then add in some garlic, and cook in equal parts vegetable broth and white wine. My mom always hated Brussels sprouts as a kid, so I never had them until a few months ago and now I have them a couple of times a week- they're delicious and seasonally appropriate for the winter. I brought them back up to Cambridge with me, so they're not totally local. I also have delicious apple-sage sausage from Flying Pigs. Yum!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

the most unsustainable place in boston


the hospital. I just got home. no more styrofoam cups. no more pills in little plastic shot glasses. oy. they are not so good at the hospital, but at least they take good care of you. i will write more on this later when I feel better but a quick update to all. I'm out of the hospital. I had a cyst 14cm in diameter on my ovary. it was much bigger than they thought so they ended up having to cut into my muffin top, instead of 3 small incisions. I'm not sure if I will be up to seeing everyone for class next weekend, if I do I will probably be wearing sweat pants, not because I am giving up on life, but because I only own low rise jeans and it would not be very ecological of me to go buy new pants. I'll write more on how much the hospital wastes later when I feel better, but seeing they were taking care of me I did not mind as much as if it were some other place. Off to nap,
Liz

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Granola Bars, Hold the Plastic

After realizing how many granola/energy bar wrappers the members of my household throw away every week, I decided I’ve given snack foods a free pass for too long. Non-local ingredients and plenty of wasteful packaging earns my favorite crisps, crackers, chips, and bars two big red Xs and a deafening foghorn blast. Time to get cookin’.

The granola bar recipe I dug up called for 5 cups of granola so I flipped backwards in my big Whole Grain Baking Cookbook and found instructions for making a huge, heaping bowl of the stuff. Instead of buying two or three cardboard canisters of oats from the grocery store, I ordered two 2-pound bags of organic rolled oats from King Arthur Flour in recyclable brown paper bags. Norwich, Vermont is outside my 150 miles, but King Arthur’s products are awesome and probably the closest I can get this time of year. (One Virginia farmer I know is breaking into the local grains market, but his sales are still seasonal.)

I stirred sunflower seeds, walnuts, peanuts, and flax seeds in with the oats, then baked the mixture at a low 250 degrees (repressed childhood memories of burnt granola came flashing back). I wanted a plain jane base so I could jazz up my bars and make a variety of flavors that could compete with Cliff’s.

With a choice of apricot, cherry-coconut, or chocolate-peanut butter, *and* a zero-waste reusable container, how can I resist these babies? I still have to take into account the packaging for the ingredients—paper bag for oats, plastic for apricots and nuts, glass bottle for vanilla, etc.—but because these come in bulk, I get way more than one use out of each. Although I didn’t use locally grown products and I did (shh!) use a tablespoon of corn syrup, I’m pretty excited about the fact that I can make my own granola bars. The question is—will I keep it up or revert to the conveniently (yet oh so wastefully) packaged ones?

My Muffins

allrecipes.com to the rescue! I found an easy recipe for english muffins with 4.5 stars and some suggested recipe alterations in the comments. Here it is: 1 cup milk, 2 tablespoons white sugar, 1 package active dry yeast, 1 cup warm water (110˚F), 1/4 cup melted shortening, 6 cups all purpose flour, and 1 teaspoon salt.

I decided to go ultra local: 1 cup high lawn farm 100% Jersey milk from Lee, MA; 2 tablespoons Vegan Cane Sugar (fair trade from Whole Foods, made in Malawi, in a re-closable plastic bag); 1 package yeast (all yeast is from Canada!!); 1/4 cup unsalted european style butter from Vermont; 6 cups King Arthur Flour (Vermont); and salt (from the moon...actually I don't know where). I bought the cornmeal in bulk from Harvest Co-Op.

Directions

  1. Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in the sugar, stirring until dissolved. Let cool until lukewarm. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the milk, yeast mixture, shortening and 3 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Add salt and rest of flour, or enough to make a soft dough. Knead. Place in greased bowl, cover, and let rise.
  3. Punch down. Roll out to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut rounds with biscuit cutter, drinking glass, or empty tuna can. Sprinkle waxed paper with cornmeal and set the rounds on this to rise. Dust tops of muffins with cornmeal also. Cover and let rise 1/2 hour.
  4. Heat greased griddle. Cook muffins on griddle about 10 minutes on each side on medium heat. Keep baked muffins in a warm oven until all have been cooked. Allow to cool and place in plastic bags for storage. To use, split and toast. Great with orange butter, or cream cheese and jam.

Nutritional Information open nutritional information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 190 | Total Fat: 3.5g | Cholesterol: 1mg






First batch didn't rise probably because I turned the Cuisinart Mixer on too high when I put the flour in.

Second batch did rise. Charlie punched down the dough and helped roll out and cut the muffins with a glass. I let the muffins rise an hour and put them on the griddle, about 8 minutes per side.

These are so yummy! They are creamy and smooth, not to mention beyond awesome fresh from the oven with muenster cheese. Pictures to follow ...

Sustainable Fish

Hello All!

For those of you interested in adding local fish to your diets.. check out the Environmental Defense Fund's Seafood Selector website

http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=1521

It explains EDF's rating system and policies on safe fishing practices, health safety measures, etc. It is helpful for sustainably choosing fish from your region. I found that Maine lobster is rated as "Eco-ok".

The Waste-Free Priestess


Did I ever mention that I LOVE The New York Times Styles section? This morning, I sat with my coffee (from bulk Harvest beans) and buttered baguette toast that I carried home Parisian-style, in my purse without any paper accouterments. I'm sitting on the floor pawing over the inky pages of the Thursday Styles section when I notice "The Waste-Free Priestess" article. I take a hearty gulp of my cafe ole and read: "Bea has a husband, two sons (ages 10 and 8) and a dog, and yet her household generates no empty containers, no food scraps, no dirty paper towels, no broken toys, no crumpled wrapping paper, no empty ketchup packets from fast-food restaurants, no orphan socks with holes in the toes. Nothing." I gulp again. I thought I was doing well because I bought bread without a bag.

I spend the next hour snooping on her blog and I declare Bea my new blogger-BFF. Her blog makes zero-waste living seem cool, sleek, sexy (not a pain-in-the-ass as I recently referred to it). Her home is straight out of Architectural Digest/Donna Karen's Hamptons summer spread-- all white and zen. Her pantry looks like the cover of Real Simple magazine-- canisters of bulk oats, dates, mango slices-- looks more like art than food. Check out her zero-waste Christmas tree-- it's simply sculptural.

I was getting down on getting down with this zero-waste living thing, until Bea. Granted, this woman is clearly the exception to the waste-free rule. However, she put the glitter back in green, and I feel inspired. Thanks, Bea.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Marginally Sustainable, A Citizen Nonetheless

I have been admiring the unanimous commitment to locally grown, locally prepared foods -- and questioning my own devotion to sustainable urban citizenship. Before beginning this experiment, I would have jumped at the opportunity to demonstrate stoic diligence in the righteous quest to become the next "No Impact" dude. I am naturally inclined towards temperance. I have a fondness for self-deprivation, at least in theory. In some deluded state, I would have conceived a sustainable utopia, complete with bedside worm composting.

Fortunately, I never recorded my inordinately ambitious aspirations at the onset of this experiment. I can project backwards now, with some experience, and survey reality. It is winter, in New England, and I'm a vegetarian. My freezer hath spoken, enticing me nigh with "Trader Giottos" frozen pizzas and Californian broccoli florets.

My lofty goals have been reduced to the following:

1) Associate foods with a geographic origin.  
When I was 16, there were MANY revelations: one of which was the nutritional content of food. I became fascinated with fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. I researched nutrition entirely for my own edification. This was during the days of academic micro-management, a time when research was reliant upon an incessant, external impulse. I was intrigued by muscle glycogen, the glycemic index, and the bioavailability of vitamins. Until now, I have given little thought to the geographic origins of my food. I have considered in detail the nutritional effects and manufacturing processes, but not the distance traveled to my mouth. This is a new revelation. I will pursue it.

2) Minimize packaging. 
The following food products have been barred from my diet because they are accompanied by wasteful packaging:
  • Dunkin Donuts Bagels
  • Stop & Shop Sushi
  • Take-out (All of it)
  • Take-away Salads
The effort to minimize packaging indirectly increases the incentive to cook 

3) Continue the action project
I have been working on printmaking for the action project. I'm working with Alex on a 'reverse propaganda' campaign that will use public, unsolicited art installations to raise awareness and aesthetically improve neglected urban facades. We are working on 'branding' these installations with urban citizenship themes. The final mounted works will range from 2'x3' to 6'x10'.

Here's a work in progress:


 

Monday, February 15, 2010

Eating Out

This week, perhaps through my inability to cook, I've ventured to seek out restaurants in my area.  I've eaten at several different places, most of which I have frequented in the past.

The first, was a Chinese food restaurant around the corner from my house.  It has your basic Chinese-American entrees but at Unique Food, they pride themselves on preparing healthier food.  The paper place-mats had the Chinese Zodiac printed in color. The paper napkins had a small, colored piece of paper neatly wrapped around it.  My chopsticks were disposable bamboo in a paper wrapper.  After our meal, I politely asked where the meat and produce come from, and the owner advised me that their food is delivered from a distribution company. They did not believe their food to be local.  They have a rather large poultry and pork selection, but it would be interesting to see what would happen to their business if they utilized the poultry shop only blocks away.

The second restaurant, one which my friends and I tend to drive to, is a diner-style deli.  They do have a bakery and sell their own bread.  However, it appears that most of their food comes in generic containers from lord knows where.  The employees at this establishment don't know where the food comes from, but this restaurant has been around for many decades.  I don't doubt that it had once used local resources, but cost would no doubt drive them to use cheaper food sources.

The third restaurant, is literally around the corner from my house, on the corner in fact.  They don't sell any local wines.  Their food is amazing, rich, and cholesterol-inducing, but surprisingly much of their produce is not local and neither are the meats.

After eating out this week, in my search for local food, I was sadly disappointed that the local restaurants aren't utilizing the seafood market or poultry market in the neighborhood.  I think this could be a great way of promoting community. And, yes, I am still awake.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Good eats

This weekend, I had great local lobster from around Portland, Maine, about 100 miles away. I might have to add more fish to my diet since it is relatively easier to verify that it is indeed local, as compared to verifying the origins of beef, pork or chicken.

I have been doing well without high fructose corn syrup, not drinking Coke and reading the labels and being more aware of the ingredients in the food I purchase. Still on my local honey kick. I had awesome locally made honey wine at an Ethiopian restaurant in Somerville, MA this evening.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Food Geek Out!

Check out this awesome interactive map and see how many farmer's markets, grocery stores, fast food chains, etc are located in your neighborhood, or throughout the United States.

I found it on this food business blog, Daily Bread, and I'm probably going to be playing with it for the rest of today.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Week Two

OK, so this week I couldn't help but think about what Alex was saying during the January intensive about voting with your purchases. I have taken that to heart for the most part. I drink mainly water now, with the occasional glass of tea (not always local, but sometimes) or coffee (not at all local: Cafe Du Monde chickory coffee from New Orleans, my favorite). I still eat my oh-so-healthy bacon and eggs breakfast. I am using free-range eggs from Kentucky, so I don't feel to bad about it! I have noticed that I am conserving more food: I don't stuff my face considering the price tag on my less-than-usual batch of groceries this month.
Here is where I really disappointed myself, and what I meant by voting through consuming. My work boots, which I have been able to depend upon for almost two years of outdoor labor, literally fell apart at the seams Tuesday morning. NOT GOOD, a foot and a half of snow (I know, New Englanders right now would scoff considering the pummeling that have received lately) and wet socks made for a miserable morning on the farm. Now, in his part of semi-rural Kentucky, you have very few choices as far as shopping. I seriously needed new work boots and on my lunch break I went to Frankfort, about 20 miles from Midway. Literally the only place that carried waterproof, steel toe work boots was UGGH, Walmart. Yes, this week I "voted" for Walmart boots. I am not a happy camper, as I have done a great job boycotting Walmart even before this semester started.
Anyhow, I have decided to take a break from the bourbon, as I spent this weekend on my "buy local soap box," preaching to all my friends about how well this local thing was going for me. I did not feel as cool the next morning as I did when I was consuming the local devil water however.
My family is being overtly supportive of my efforts: being a good southern family, I receive some new locally made dish literally every other day. Way more food than I can eat, of course. The key to a man's heart is through his stomach, and I feel the love!
I have started drinking kombucha, but have no intentions on making it. (I will leave that up to Brynn and Ben!)
Like Mel, I have struggled with the high fructose corn syrup. I have avoided it surprisingly well, but still have the Coke withdrawals. In the cafeteria today at work, I stared down the soda fountian, to the point that people were looking at me funny. I settled on water.
The last of the locally grown carrots went into the mouth of the horse my grandmother donated to the equestrian program. I don't know who she spoiled worse, me or the four-legged big baby that snatched the carrot and walked off without saying thank you! Haha
I need to start including pictures....
This week: successfully fixed breakfast and dinner, leaving lunch to the Midway College cafeteria. Supported the evil empire (just kidding for those who like Walmart). Overdrank locally.
Next week, figure out what I am going to do with all this extra food...

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Hunger...

I'm noticing that, like Jeff, my wallet is shrinking steadily.  Where the meat appears to be cheaper somehow, produce is through the roof.  I'm thinking it may be because most food is out of season.  I am also noticing that I'm starting to CRAVE food.  I was hungry so I cheated and went to Wendy's for some fries.  I ate two and felt ill.  How does that work?


I am also currently failing at eliminating high fructose corn syrup.  It is in EVERYTHING!!!


Just thought I'd share.

What My Freezer Told Me

In the winter, I usually carve out time on Sunday mornings to head to the Columbia Pike Farmer’s Market, about a mile from my house. The market is tiny compared to some of the other year-round markets around here (Dupont Circle is legendary), but I can still get my fill of delicious local foods—rosemary lamb sausages, free-range eggs, full-fat yogurt from grass-fed cows, aged cheddar, sour pickles, apples, cider. Yum, yum, yum.

But since we had Snowmageddon this past weekend (near record-breaking snowfalls shut this place down), the market was closed and I had to do without my weekly staples (I am rationing the yogurt and the cheese is almost down to the rind—but that mold is mouthwatering). By the time I walked down to the grocery store, the lines were long and the produce had been wiped out. I did find some apples behind a “Locally Grown” sign, but there was no information saying exactly where they came from. Around here, Pennsylvania is local. Even New York state could be local by Whole Foods standards. So much for 150 miles!

I realize that I’ve developed a bias against grocery stores in the last few years. At least their produce sections. And their meat counters. And probably also their dairy cases. (Somehow the uber-processed snack food aisle has escaped my scrutiny. My favorite chips, crackers, and pretzels also fail the wasteful packaging test. Doh!) Because I don’t know the sources of grocery store products, and because I’m lucky enough to have access to a wide range of locally-grown food, it’s come to the point where if I can’t get certain foods at a farmer’s market (or the garden where I worked or from friends), I won’t buy it.

But winter makes that tough. Although some farmers continue to sell veggies grown in greenhouses, the vendors at my little market aren’t bringing much fresh produce. The main vegetable in my diet the past two and a half months has been winter squash. I had stashed about eight of them from our harvest at the Local Food Project garden and now I only have one left. Just the sight of it sends me into a funk. I’ve done winter squash so many ways I’m seriously doubting my ability to come up with another creative use for it. (Confession: the winter blues and the fear of scurvy finally got to me a few weeks ago. I bought a bunch of fresh organic California spinach from Whole Foods. Totally not local. But it was so good.)

How to keep the non-green winter months from dragging? My freezer had a few suggestions. Wanting to jazz up some spaghetti sauce one night, I remembered my little hoard—a bag each of chopped green peppers and green beans, prepped and stashed in the freezer back in October. Our bean vines and pepper plants at the garden had both been in danger of being wiped out by frost and my co-gardener Ruth had insisted that I take home a huge mound of each and freeze them. At the time, I felt like I’d never run out of fresh food. Even as the season drew to a close, many crops were thriving. Why did I need to put away extras?


Now, in dark, cold February, the bright bursts of green in my spaghetti sauce take me back to vibrant summer. I’m thankful that I took the time back when fresh food was abundant to squirrel away this treasure trove. Even though I used crushed tomatoes from a can, I got a little taste of local food thanks to the beans, peppers, some dried sage and rosemary from the Local Food Project herb patch, and a jalapeno dried by the chef.

What is my freezer telling me? Don’t fiddle away the summer and forget to store something away for winter. Take eating locally to the next level and don’t just do it when it’s easy. Think seasonal, but also think ahead. Find a class on canning. Ask my dad about the raspberry jam he made that one year. Learn how to make my own sour pickles. Summer in a hot kitchen, sweating over jars and boiling water and cans of tomatoes and greens and berries? I’ll take it.

Dr. Awful's Excellent Point

I'm making use of this week in New York, going to all the yearly doctor's appointments and such. So, I'm waiting in the doctor's office, and there's some lame fear-mongering show on the television: Dr. Oz is all in a tizzy, trying to warn us about potential bioterror attacks.

Excellent.

Now, I've never seen this Dr. Oz, but he seems totally lame, unimpressive and kind of smarmy, and he had already covered the first two forms of potential attacks (bubonic plague, as symbolized by a cage with rats in it, and anthrax, as symbolized by some white powder in a bag) when he gets to the next topic, which is totally relatable!

Botulism and other food-related diseases, as spread by our centralized food system. And suddenly, I'm totally captivated by this guy and his three vapid guests. Because e. coli, for example, was spread through tomatoes sold at supermarkets, affecting the entire nation, because they all came from the same tainted location, whereas farmer's markets were blissfully unaffected. And the e. coli found in peanut butter? Same thing!

And not only that, but due to food laws, the government isn't even allowed to warn you about which companies produced the tainted food (this could be slander, you see), so we are currently relying on the companies themselves coming clean about any problems with their products. This doesn't seem to be an effective way to protect ourselves against food problems, whether it relates to bioterrorism or not.

In decentralizing our food system, we not only get to partake in local culinary delights, but we can, as ordinary Americans, be protected from bioterrorism! Thanks, Doc!

(note: obviously anyone as bland as Dr. Oz didn't actually propose radical decentralization, but merely more monitoring, which is really not the solution in my opinion. What do you think?)

How Local Is Local?

As of right now, I live in Jamaica Plain. It's ok. My cousin from DC came up and I decided to take him to the "local" eating and drinking establishments in JP. First stop JP licks ice cream. It was slow, so I asked the guy working behind the counter a few questions. They make whip cream there, and some flavors of ice cream. I told him about my project and he laughed. He told me the cones come from China and the sprinkles on my sundae came from Canada. He told me to guess where the strawberries came from. All this time I thought I was eating local ice cream. So if some of the prepared foods are "prepared" in JP, does that make them local? How far back do we trace this? 150 miles out of Boston does not get you that far, mid-New Hampshire, just about where Interstate 89 and 91 meet up. Next stop Sam Adams Brewery. We went on the tour and had free samples at the end. Only 5% of all Sam Adams is brewed here in JP. Nothing in bottles, just some kegs. I imagine if less than 5% was made here in JP then they would have to put PA on the label instead of Boston. So my "local" day. Not so local. And ice cream and beer, not the best combo.

Husbandry

I felt quite proud of myself last week when I came home with a handful of CVS's new EARTH ESSENTIALS brand paper towels (100% recycled, 2ply), toilet paper (1ply, essentially marine TP), and trash bags. Biodegradable trash bags!

Cut to this morning, weekly trash day. I had put one of these light green alterna-bags in our kitchen barrel.

H: What is this?
ME: It is a biodegradable trash bag.
H: It's too small. I'll need to put it into another, regular bag.
ME: Just try to compress it first.
H: There is a pizza box in here. (BTW, pizza boxes - as a rule - are not recyclable in Medford.)
ME: OK, I guess. You can't just tie the handles?
H: No. But, we can use them in the bathroom trash can.
ME: (thought bubble) "Biodegradability is pointless if its inside a non-biodegradable Glad bag."

When he leaves for work, I promptly put an EARTH ESSENTIALS bag in the bathroom, bedroom, and wherever else I can find a short barrel.

Moral: Eco-products have to look like or be "as useful" as standard products, otherwise *laziness* might take over, at least in my family.

Monday, February 8, 2010

"Organic" Frozen Foods from Whole Foods

Absurdly Wasteful Food Packaging




Week One

Well, week one of attempting to eat locally and use less packaging was semi-successful for me. I work on a horse farm about 12 miles away from my home, in a quaint little town called Midway, Kentucky. The farm is in connection with Midway College, a small private institution with an excellent cafeteria. I am a sucker for bacon, eggs, biscuits and gravy, which is what I eat almost every morning during the work week. I rarely wake up in time to make breakfast for myself, or lunch for that matter! So this past week, two out of three meals a day were most likely not local at all! I did talk to the chef at the college about my quest to eat locally, and he assured me that a surprising amount of the food used in meal preparation is actually from Kentucky. I should still be packing my own lunch at the least, which is the skill I have chosen to hone: preparing my own meals. This is something I know how to do, but very rarely do it. So I guess the skill is to stop being so lazy rather than learn how to cook! I have been fixing my own dinner, which has been rewarding so far.
Going to the local Co-Op reminded me of a concept from the big green book we read last semester called "Understanding Urban Ecosystems." The "privilege of choice" ran through my head as I looked at prices on local products. I did happen to find everything from Kentucky, which was really exciting for me! A couple of things, pita chips and pasta, came from just across the Kentucky River in Ohio however. Here is a short run-down of what I found:
Flax oat bread made in Lexington, KY
Sharp cheddar cheese from Glasgow, KY
Stone ground mustard from Mount Olive, KY
Beer cheese spread from Lexington, KY
Honey from Midway, KY
Uncle Kenny's bourbon soaked cookies (YUM!) from Harrodsburg, KY
Honey-glazed pretzels from Covington, KY
Lettuce from Louisville, KY
Broccoli, potatoes, and multi-colored carrots (very odd, I found a blue carrot!!! Should have included a photo, oh well...) from Richmond, KY
Chocolate milk and chocolate ice cream from Pleasureville, KY
Salsa from Winchester, KY
Bison burgers/steaks from Louisville, KY
Obviously no fruit, due to the season.
Thankfully, my favorite alcoholic beverage, bourbon, is made only in Kentucky! (Don't let anyone fool you, it is NOT bourbon if it is not made in Kentucky, it is otherwise whiskey)
Kinda snobby, I know, but you would be surprised how many times I have been served Tennessee whiskey out of state when I asked for bourbon....

The bill was outragious compared to my usual grocery runs, but I felt good about supporting local farmers. Uncle Kenny, the guy who made the cookies, was actually there at the Co-Op, so I chatted with him for a moment. I did slip up on the reduced plastic/packaging deal, as I left my re-usable grocery bags at home by mistake! So I have added to my bulging collection of plasti grocery bags, which I do save and re-use. I also purchased some literature on composting and vegetable gardening, two skillsets I would like to pursue...

The junk food I miss the most so far: Coca-Cola and McDonald's hashbrowns!!! I hate Mickey D's overall, but their Coke is addictive and their hashbrowns are heavenly in my opinion.... oh well, I have replaced high fructose corn syrup with tap water, (no bottled water for me!) which is good.

On the next post: attempting to pack my own lunch and make my own breakfast!

Eating in New York.

I descended upon Brooklyn this week and I intentionally did not tell my parents about this project, hoping to see how much local food they naturally consume in a week. The answer, delightfully, is that it appears that about 80% of their diet is local and their plan works like this: Go to as many farmer's markets during the week as you possibly can (they use tote bags there, so there is minimal packaging). Then, buy any other necessary food items from locally owned businesses (example: the excellent Caputo's Fine Foods on our corner, wherein they make their own pasta, cheeses, soups and sauces) and then, finally, after exhausting all other possibilities, they might venture into a larger store, like Fairway. It's brilliantly simplistic: they really are relying on local supplies for most of their food (with the aid of cookbooks organized by season), and only need purchase the extra seasonings (salt, etc) from non-local sources, while the most important main ingredients remain seasonal and local.

My first night home, we ate delicious beef stew (Beef, from Arcadian Pastures in Sloansville, NY; carrots and parsnips from Phillips Farm in NJ; mushrooms and broth, sadly, traveling foods) and mashed potatoes (Potatoes, from NY; cream cheese, traveling; butter from Vermont).

For breakfast the next day we had blueberry scones (flour, from Vermont [the most local you can buy in New York City]; butter, from Vermont; blueberries, frozen from Winter Harvest, (CSA); sugar, baking powder, etc, traveling) with locally-made jam. Yum!

Of course, I do not normally eat like this when I live on my own. For one thing, there are a ridiculous amount of farmer's markets in New York, and many of them meet year-round. In Brooklyn alone, there are loads of markets every day of the week. However, in Cambridge I think I do pretty well, eating mostly unprocessed foods- food that I create from the raw products that I purchased. I spend time thinking about what I eat and how to get it in the best way, even when there aren't a lot of options.

But this eating style- this eating style of my parents that I spent the last six years of my life living (and, let's face it, complaining about)- is a whole other level.

Solid work, folks!

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Live Poultry Fresh Killed!

So, I'm off to a rocky start on my new skill. I'm having a hard time finding one, although I think I might use Miss Alex as a resource to start growing my own herbs.  I've been told that they are easier to grow for first-timers.  This week, I've dabbled with cooking with local chicken from "Live Poultry Fresh Killed" down the street from my house.  We purchased several pounds of chicken breast for a pretty inexpensive amount.  The difficulty I have found is the effort required to locate local food.  


I've been looking at their website, and I noticed that I can't see where the meat actually comes from... The Mayflower Poultry Company was apparently founded in 1932 in the North End.  The shop by my house was established in 1945, and has been here ever since.  Their meat is "all-natural" which means no animal byproducts and no antibiotics are used.  I'm interested in finding out more about this establishment. 


I proposed to Logan that those of us who live in the area should get together once a week and cook a meal that consists of locally grown food.  I haven't heard much on that front, but I think it would be a good idea for those of us who have limited funds.  

Honestly, I can't yet see how cooking with local food, while it supports local business, will make too much difference in my life.  We shall see as I get closer to my routine physical date and maybe I will see a difference in ways that I can't necessarily see. :)

Meghan: Sunday Feb 7 2010

As a project this semester, consuming food that has been produced 150 miles from my home, and generating less waste is something I hope to carry on beyond Lesley. Consider how the incredible honeybee works: they forage for their pollen and nectar sources in a two to four mile radius. They are producing and making food in a sustainable way. Our communities would be a a lot better off if we could do the same.

I have found that it is harder to find local food. I can find it in the grocery store at Whole Foods, but is all of the food sent to the distibution center at Whole Foods or do local companies like Cabot cheese truck their product directly to the store?

Went to JP Licks ice cream today, and they do not post in their stores if their ingredients are local. Hmmm I wonder.

Any thoughts?

Saturday, February 6, 2010

iPod Generation



My iPod headphones are MIA. I have two options: drive to the Apple store and buy a new pair of Apple Earphones ($19.95) or walk to CVS and buy a less-cool-pair ($9.95). I decide the sustainable choice would be to walk down my street to CVS. Here comes my dilemma: all of the earphones at CVS have heavy duty packaging with stubborn plastic casing that requires pliers and a cool, calm attitude. The cost is significantly substantial between the CVS/Philips brand vs. Apple ($10)-- and the Apple brand still comes in plastic packaging. Which choice would you have made?

Friday, February 5, 2010

Quick Follow Up







Hi Class. I wanted to write this quick follow up to my experience. So I was totally nervous about going to the Body Center for pilates. I went there after doing my weekly shopping, which I will comment on later. I was thinking of ways I could say I did this with out really going. But I did not. I found a 2 hour parking spot and walked to the address provided. It sort of looked like a big house. Looking at the building straight on there was a door. It was locked. Hmm I thought maybe I will be getting out of this. But then there was a side entrance. When I opened the door it was just a staircase. So I went. It went to a equally as rugged hallway. I heard what sounded like a class going on but there were just a bunch of closed doors. It was 12:45, I like to be early, and class was at 1. Bail, bail, I kept thinking, but I stayed. I can't be in the right place I kept thinking. Pilates is for rich suburban Mom's and they would not be caught dead in a place like this, right? Finally the class let out and to my delight a dog came down the hallway. Well if they have a dog here it can't be all that bad. I signed all the waivers, gave a complete medical history, blah blah blah, and next thing I know I'm in the class. The class was given in a room which reminded me of where I used to take ballet when I was a kid, but with a bunch of old antique like mirrors lining the wall. It was kind of cool. Come to find out the instructor/owner got all of them for free at different time from our favorite website craigslist. Way to be sustainable! The 50 minute class flew by. It was both challenging and fun. I was more relaxed because the class was made up of females. But this is the interesting part. When I walked outside I felt good. No really good. Like I could change the world. I was not the usual crabby Liz. I did not even recognize myself. I felt high almost. It was a nice change of the usual bad mood I have been in since being laid off of my job and not being able to find work since September 09. Long story short, maybe trying something new is not all that bad. Maybe change is not that bad...but I'm not going to be trying cheesecake anytime soon. I think I will go back to another class next week though...(sorry my photos are at the top, I can't figure out how to edit this blog thing yet.)

The Food Challenge

Last night, my boyfriend and I went to a friends house for pasta dinner. Now the polite thing to do is bring a bottle of wine. I stopped at a wine/beer shop in Belmont on my way home from work yesterday. I decided to try my food challenge project out. Browsing around I saw wines from all over the world. The closest wine I could find was made in CA. I asked the clerk if there were any local wines..He laughed at me and asked if I had seen any Vineyards around here. (In my head I'm thinking.. Martha's Vineyard. duh. Look at a map son.) When I lived in Nantucket I lived near a brewery, winery, distillery, so yes I know they make wine in our fine state. Frustrated I ended up buying Cisco brewery whale's tale beer. They only come in 4 packs. $8.49 for 4 beers. But hey its only 99.2 miles to Nantucket from my house. So it was kind of weird for one person each to have one beer, luckily my friends had wine at their house to have with dinner, while we each enjoyed a "local" beer before dinner.

Did I mention I hate trying new things..

It’s Friday and I’m gonna try something new. I’m pretty scared. Well no I’m on the verge of terrified. A little background info about me. I’m stubborn. I hate change. I don’t like to try new things. For example, I’ve never had cheesecake, the name grosses me out, I’ve never seen the movie Grease because I don’t like people singing on tv. I’m very set in my ways. I feel if I have not tried it yet at 30 years old I probably don’t need it in my life. Not knowing where to start on this project I looked at the classes section of craigslist. Most of it not worth anyone’s time. But I did find an ad for a class to “change my body, and change my mind.” I am going to a 1:00 pilates class at the Body Studio in Brookline. I’m scared. I’m scared I will not be able to do it. I’m scared that I will fail. But I will keep everyone posted with my process. Provided I make it out alive. J

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Doggy Bag Do-Gooder

Wasteful packaging challenge—go! I faced my first opportunity to say no while finishing up dinner at Busboys & Poets (one of the coolest restaurants in Arlington). How to transport home the second wedge of my super savory tempeh-roasted pepper-grilled onion sandwich? Styrofoam box? Plastic carton? Or the cocktail napkins under our water glasses?


The oil that soaked through the napkins and into my purse while we went to the movies (Crazy Heart=awesome) encouraged me to think about ways to make eating out a little more sustainable. I could think ahead and bring a zip top bag or my own reusable container to stealthily stow any leftovers. Or maybe it’s time to break down and spend the 7 bucks for one of these washable sandwich pouches (or $9 to get one made in the US!).


When I got home I did transfer my sandwich to some aluminum foil. And I added the disintegrating napkins to my pile of the day’s packaging waste. As I eyed the (surprisingly artful) pile, two particular pieces of trash jumped out at me—an enormous juice container and a Cliff Bar wrapper (one of about a dozen consumed in my household every week). Can I find a way to enjoy these yummy foods while avoiding that decidedly unsustainable packaging? I can’t wait to try.

On Bread










Welcome to local food shopping for a family of four with as little excess packaging as possible.

Two shopping trips in, I have already realized this is going to be difficult. First of all, most of our meals come out of the freezer: meatballs, fish sticks or chicken nuggets (in various shapes), ravioli, steam in the bag vegetables, klondike bars; you get the idea. Second, my son's latest breakfast addiction are Thomas' English Muffins - the cinnamon raisin flavor - and he is unlikely to quit just because they were baked in Connecticut with ingredients shipped in from who knows where. Wouldn't you know that raisins, bananas, and avocado are favorite snacks of his; none are produced in New England, let alone within 150 miles of Medford. Finally, I have limited time to prepare dinner. This is because I have - quite successfully, I might add - filled my stay-at-home-mom time with child care, volunteering, laundry, doctors visits, making homemade meals for new moms (go figure), reading for class, knitting, writing, and napping (when I can) to make sure I can it all tomorrow. And I thought I wouldn't have enough to do without a paid job. Ha! I did, however, manage to have some success with local food on trips 1 and 2 (emphasis on some).

Trip 1: FoodMaster, Medford; 5pm on a Tuesday.

I have both kids in tow and am pushing my cart about with one hand. I find sweet rolls made in Cambridge and a sliced whole wheat sandwich bread from somewhere in Massachusetts. I forgo the grapes from Chile, but am lured in by a clamshell box of strawberries from California. I discover the FoodMaster brand is from Keene, NH and choose the "Best" steam-in-a-bag frozen vegetables and butter. Our favorite raviolis are from Boston (Mama Rosie's) and the meatballs are from Massachusetts, too. Harmony canned cat food (from Connecticut) is three times the price of the cheap brand I usually buy. Garelick Farm milk is from New England. Stonyfield Farm yogurt is from New England ... not Massachusetts, but I don't see an alternative.

Having forgot my reusable bags, I buy three shopping bags at 99 cents a piece. Most of my groceries end up in plastic because I under-estimated. One of the reusable bags falls apart as I am bringing them into the house, but, thankfully, not until I get the bag into the kitchen.

Trip 2: Harvest Co-op, Cambridge; 2pm on Wednesday.

I have since decided that that making food is the only way to truly eat local. Even the sweet rolls made in Cambridge are unlikely to be sourced locally. I am able to verify this in the isles of Harvest – all the available yeasts are from Canada. If I can make bread, using local flour and sugar, then it will be – at least mostly – local. The most local flour I find is one made in Vermont; the most local sugar is honey from Holliston, MA. I pick up some bulk cornmeal ($1.19 a pound!!) to help my family break our Thomas’ English muffin addiction. Again, I forgot the reusable bag … so I buy one for $1.99, that, thankfully, makes it home and beyond.

MY CHALLENGE: Make bread and English muffins good enough for my three-year old to take to preschool in his lunch.