Why should you care?

                 

             

 

As Canadians we are extremely lucky to live in such an agriculturally prosperous country with ample space in which to stretch our mental and physical wings, breathe in clean air, grow our own food and maintain a healthy and active outdoor lifestyle. Unfortunately, a lot of us dwell in overcrowded, overstimulated and overweight cities where space, time and motivation to be healthy and stay healthy are limited. We are riding in cars or buses, taking elevators, sitting at desks at work and the couch or computer chair at home. We eat at BigFood dispensaries, shop in warehouse sized grocery stores and make choices there based upon convenience and expense.

You are what you eat

Statistics coming out of government sources are definitely discouraging in terms of health vs longevity; we're living longer but we are living sicker. It seems counter intuitive to have ninety to a hundred years of life if half that time is spent ill. Quality of life is a phrase often bandied about but rarely when concerning the food we eat and how it is grown in the factory conditions of industrial farming. Our foodstuffs garnered at the grocery store are uniform, glossy specimens of visual "health" but are sadly lacking in nutrition and flavour. I believe the common consensus is that todays fruits and vegetables have about half the nutrients of unaltered heirloom specimens from the past.  Exotic foods imported from far away paradise are irradiated and more often than not underripe-I don't know which is worse!

People- groups, government, individuals- have come to the realization that something has to be done beyond the availability of "farm markets" on Saturdays and Sundays in some larger towns. They are all well and good if you can find one but certainly not a standard amongst all communities. Concerned individuals and health conscious restaurants have taken to shopping at these markets but there are pitfalls that will catch the unwary. I have seem some inferior product on display at some markets. Organic or home grown foods will not have the same uniform shape or glossy condition as grocery stores but they should still look and feel fresh, ripe and in good condition. To confuse matters more, plenty of markets carry foods that are out-of-season purchases from the same suppliers as the grocery stores. Are you getting full-nutrient foods if they are force grown under chemical conditions out of season? Why are they for sale at these markets?

                                           

Picking and Choosing

                Southern Ontario Seasonal Guide

• Rhubarb             May 10
• Strawberries       June 10
• Peas                   June 15
• Beans                 July 10
• Raspberries        July 10
• Cucumbers         July 10
• Pickling Cukes    July 10
• Zucchini             July 10
• Corn                   July 25
• Tomatoes           August 10
• Peppers, 

      sweet and hot  August 10

• Eggplant            August 10
• Squash               August 25
• Cabbage            August 25
• Gourds, Indian   September 1
• Corn, Pumpkins September 1

Knowing which vegetables are in season will go a long way to helping you avoid foods that are available in markets but are not necessarily forming a good nutrient value to dollar expense ratio. For example, buying cauliflower in May regardless of location will not result in a purchase that is home grown on the farm and freshly harvested but greenhouse grown and harvested a few days ago. It may be "on special" but in terms of nutrient value it will be less than ideal. Getting to know your community is essential for building trust when you are handing over your hard earned money for their goods so the character of the market sellers is vital knowledge to have.

So, there you are wanting to be a part of Slow Food and feed your family healthier foods, shopping responsibly at farm markets, bringing your cloth bag, and expanding your culinary skills and I am telling you you're doing it wrong. Not true. Your intentions are perfect; execution is where the flaws are apparent.  You are told to eat healthier but are not told how to accomplish this feat in todays Good Food vs Industrial Food environment. 

Well, you could grow your own food, provided you have adequate space, light, ease of maintenance (important!) and dedication (goes with ease of maintenance). Adequate growing space can be anything from a balcony/patio with pots for a one or two person household to an acre of raised beds for a suburbanite family of four. We could lump time, ease of maintenance and dedication into one as each can influence the others and it can vary immensely from a simple watering to an afternoon spent weeding, cultivating and watering and an evening spent pampering your aching back and wimpering. Depending on your circumstances,  growing your own food can be rewarding and challenging, demanding and profitable. Profitable? Yes, in terms of money saved on daily groceries as well as gift giving of preserved or "canned" goods. Nothing beats a hostess basket or mother-in-law gift of preserved goodies (especially when it's last minute because you forgot!)

Esprit de Corps

You probably spend a lot of time perusing labels in the grocery aisle, trying to remember the good and the bad, proportions, daily intake, whether or not you need more fibre and on and on and on. Can you really see your self hunting down organically grown, pasture raised, mumbled over by a hedge witch perfect foods? That seems to be the only advice coming from fresh food fanatics of which I am not one. I am more pragmatic than that. I say, shop seasonally at trusted farm gate stand or community farm markets where you know the eggs you buy are not from battery or enclosed lay-ers but lay-ers that eat bugs under the sun;the meat is pastured raised on nutritious grasses and not grain fed in a feedlot;the vegetables you buy are in season, locally grown, and with as little of chemical use as possible ideally certified organic. If you get to know the owners you can quiz them on their growing practices politely and more than likely you will get the truth. It helps if you are also a customer.

Pragmatism Rules!

Sometimes compromises must be made in the name of a healthy diet; compromises between fresh and not so fresh(canned), butcher shop or supermarket meat counter. Sometime the recipe you are dying to try is made up of all exotic ingredients. Sometimes making your own bread or churning your own butter is not going to be a feasible option. There are going to be numerous times you have to choose supermarket over farm market and that is just life. The point is to be aware of the opportunities to make better choices and exercise those options as often as you can.

There are pantry staples that can be home canned, for the most part easily but relying on store bought, Ontario/Canada grown and processed goods are a fine substitute. Off season, frozen vegetables can have the same level of nutrients as fresh so are a wonderful option for a veggie dish that is quick and easy. You may not be able to visit a butcher shop that supplies pasture fed meats but choosing as close to it as possible such as no hormones, antibiotics and limited confinement of the animals is a good choice. Check with your butcher if you do go to one, for Heritage breeds and inquire about their aging process and the availablility of ordering pastured animals. Purchasing Heritage breeds ensures the continuation of the breed ::supply and demand. 

Do you often go for Sunday drives in the country, drive back roads on the way to the beach or to visit the Grandparents? Why not stop off at a farm stand to pick up in season veg or farm fresh, farmyard-raised eggs? In the winter months, shopping for eggs and veg at the grocery store is a needful thing not a shameful thing. In the summer months, the availablility of farm stands negates this necessity. I know that sounds preachy but really, a fact is a fact.

Canning Like a Grandma

Canning or preserving can stretch a food budget more than elastic on a pair of track pants after Thanksgiving dinner. Canning acidic foods is cheap, easy and consists of many re-usable components that makes it a cheap investment as well. Canning non-acidic foods requires more expensive equipment and more knowledge but expands the variety of foods available to you over the winter and early spring months.

You may feel some trepidation about canning, either water or pressure canning, but it is not as difficult as you may believe. There is such a delicious incentive as well; think crunchy pickles made in one afternoon, from buying to cleaning to wiping the jars and applying the labels; think spicy, aromatic tomato sauce bubbling on the stove in February that only took a couple of days to put up the August before. A little bit of effort goes a long way to improving your food budget and culinary masterpieces during the winter months.

                                                              and it does make for a pretty pantry...

An alternative to pressure canning your non-acidic dishes is freezing which is an easy and inexpensive way of capturing summer sunniness to enjoy in the darkness later on. Grean beans, peas, broccoli, carrots, asparagus, tomatoes and tomato sauce, fresh soups etc are just some of the delicious food ideas that you can utilize in your freezing-to-preserve adventures.

The Bottom Line

So what does all this mean? How are you supposed to incorporate healthy, inexpensive foods into your diet instead of relying upon processed and packaged foods? Does this mean you have to give up you Kraft Dinner? Hell no! Don't even think it! But how about adding some in season green and red vegetable and some locally sourced meat sizzling alongside? Sound do-able?

I am of the opinion that to be a responsible shopper you have to include whether or not your food is locally sourced, humanely grown and financially feasible to purchase as well as what the calories and nutrients may be. I don't think it is necessary to be a vegan, or a hair shirt wearing hermit, or an environmentalist, animal rights fanatic and tree hugger to be a responsible shopper. There is a middle ground where most people would be comfortable living in and I firmly believe in it. I also enjoy giving this knowledge away so that more people support their local food growers and really become aware of the lifespan and quality of life of both themselves and the food they eat. I strongly encourage people to take drives in the surrounding countryside where they live and find those farm stands. Only by voting with our wallets will availablility and price become more comfortable for everyone. Humans crave habit and routine and if you accept these ideas into your routine, your good habits, you will find they incorporate themselves seamlessly and are easy to live with.

                                                         

text: Chelle Elle

all photographs found on Google Images