This was a Facebook post by NPR. I know I have a small audience but this is such an important issue. I’ve basically copied my responses below. While my mother didn’t do the best in terms of making good food choices for me she did instill one thing that has stuck with me to this day and I love her so much for it. “Just because you don’t like it today doesn’t mean you won’t like it tomorrow! Give foods you don’t like a try at least twice a year and I promise you that you will change your mind one day.”
She was right. I now love coffee, onions, raw spinach, bell peppers… the list grows more each year.
The excuses I read in the NPR comment section really surprised me. I blame most of my weight issues with processed food and the lack of education and parental choices being made for me when I was most impressionable. I am addicted to sugar and my body literally craves it. I’m 45 years old and I only just realized it. Like any addiction it wants to be fed or it will make you cranky! I am determined to beat my addiction. As I stare out at the little patch of land that will be growing my first real veggie garden I feel the excitement of turning a new page in my life.
I’m also happy that I finally have regular egg buyers now! Yeah! My hobby will turn into a nice side business that I hope will one day break even! J
Why would anyone automatically assume that local food would be more expensive? I can see where it might cost more in time by contacting/selling but I don’t think it has to actually cost more $$ I operate a small farm with 50+ free range chickens and a 100 x 80 veggie patch. I sell my eggs for $2.00 a dozen and they are way more healthy for you than store bought eggs. I will be selling any extra produce I have to a local restaurant. Then it doesn’t go to waste and I can help recoup some of my expense. I would have this expense no matter what because I prefer to have my food pesticide free and not injected full of antibiotics.
Why not take the kids on a “field trip” to an actual field?
The expense in theory could be less also if you take into consideration there is less expense associated with transporting it across the country or from another country! I can promise you that I wouldn’t charge more for my carrots than what could be bought in a 5 pound can and children might get a chance to see that carrots don’t come out of the ground in perfect round slices.
Yes, I have read all 200+ posts. This is an important issue for the country and most people don’t even realize it yet. My sugar cravings are the biggest reason I have started growing my own food. I realize that not everyone can do it. However, we can teach the next generations a difference. Here’s a classic example: my mother never really pushed me to eat a ton of veggies. She gave us what she liked and was familiar with. That turned out to be a bit limited to corn, peas etc… When I met my British husband’s children for the first time I was amazed at all the veggies they ate. They eat rutabaga, brussels, cabbage, collards… I can’t think of a single veg they don’t eat. I was 35 and had no idea what a rutabaga or a parsnip even was!
When I took them to the store once they were hungry and asked if they could open up the bag of raw carrots I had just bought. A lady turned to me and asked me how I got them to do that…. It is simple I said, they were raised on whole food (not processed) from the get go and we encourage their choices. The oldest even prefers baby carrots over ice cream as desert. They are now teenagers and their choices have never changed and we continue to support that. By the way… they live in a city.
Isn’t it time we start making excuses for passing on our bad habits? As parents you can actually make smart choices for your children. If you don’t allow them to run with scissors you can also make the choice of giving whole foods and not processed foods.
I also read concerns regarding seasonality issues. That is something that working with local farmers can not change. Your fresh fruits & veggies from local producers in the northern states will be an issue but would it not be better to offer it when available than not at all? Then the rest of the year you can buy the 5 lb containers of mushy spinach which they don’t eat anyway. When available give them fresh spinach.
One other comment that stuck in my mind was food holding up in hot chafing pans. Once again I refer to my fresh carrots … I bet they hold up better than the 5 lb can of already mush soft carrots.
When people speak of concerns regarding traceability issues have you never noticed it is the large scale producers that seem to be more problematic? I may be completely wrong here and I am NOT afraid to say it but with the food bourn illness we have seen from eggs, spinach, tomatoes etc… they all seem to be from mass producers. When was the last time you saw the small farmer on the news because his veggie patch or apple grove had a huge contamination issue?
What are we afraid of really? No matter what side of the political fence you are on I encourage you to learn more about the food you eat.
