Animal, vegetable , miracle

Something that has got me thinking about what we eat and how it grows is this life-changing fabulous book, by Barbara Kingsolver. Even though I'm not much of a gardener-y type this book has had me absolutely entranced. It is a great mix of personal account, scientific fact, recipes and general inspiration about doing things right for the earth and our fellow animals on the planet. Not in a preachy way but in a "wow, I can do things that are great for me and for those around me" cool kind of a way.

For me it is about exercising choice. Just as we are exercising choice not to put Hen into the formal schooling system til he's 6, I want to make an informed choice about the food I put into my family and me. I know it is a bourgeois issue and I am just lucky to have safe food I can afford, but given I have the choice it seems wrong not to make the most of it and do what is right. For example, I don't buy battery chicken or eggs. I will not eat feedlot beef in the US (just wrong in so many ways). When I shop I minimise packaging wherever I can. We use organic fair trade coffee and organic milk in our business.

We recycle what we can and have compost and guineas so not much rubbish goes out our doors. I know there's much more we could do but everything makes some small difference, and if each of us can make a small difference that adds up to a big difference over time. I do think our children need to understand, too, that food COMES from somewhere, and that it matters that we know that, and what it contains. Why wouldn't we?

So knowing we will be in the States in 10 days I am researching the nearest farmers' markets and planning to make yummy seasonal meals for our hosts whenever we can. Fabulous markets near Gwen's (and even a just-released Santa Monica Farmers' markets cookbook!) and as well as the big one downtown each weekend, there are markets (albeit Upper East Side highly priced markets!) to buy sustainable meat etc within blocks of Peggy's. Yay. And even places to get REAL beef burgers for my carnivorous son.

Ok - enough of a rave for tonight...