It all started with a book titled The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan. I read this title last year; it was one of a long stream of books written by journalists and authors focused on the American food system (see My book list for other titles). This book is beautifully written in a way that makes you think "How could this be happening and why am I complicit?", but it also shows the average eater (that would be you and me) that there is something to be done. This book affected me in a way that can only be described as profound, changing my feelings about food from enjoyable to passionate. Listen to a Michael Pollan interview here.
Don't get me wrong, until last year I was a Bon Appetite Girl putting together menus and shopping to the ends of the earth to find ingredients required to create the latest new dish. My friends and family enjoyed global bounties as often as Mark and I could arrange it. We loved every minute of the cooking and eating experience. But simple foods, prepared outside their season, left something to be desired and we didn't really know why until authors and growers started writing about it. I learned that supermarket food looked good, but the producers were focused on concerns other that taste and nutrition, and that the long term consequences of the industrial food-system are devastating.
So I went looking for local resources and found there is a burgeoning movement in Reno. Our like-minded friends were willing to consider changing the way we acquired food and are drawn to the community-based nature of "shopping" together. Some are interested in taking advantage of absolutely every opportunity to buy local, others pick and choose according to their lifestyle. I still love Bon Appetite and often cook meals from it, but now I try to choose menus with ingredients that fit my new priorities: fresh, local, and seasonal. Bonus: I'm learning to cook in a more freestyle way, using what's available rather than what I "need". It's all good.
We are coming up on the one year anniversary of our first consciously local food purchase. Last year our group purchased an entire grass-fed beef, and made the activity an opportunity to get together and enjoy each others company. This weekend we'll come together, throw the two Tri-tips on the BBQ to cook slowly while we visit and talk about year two.
Next big thing...it's apple season so this week we'll be trying to contact local apple growers because it's time to can for applesauce. More soon!
Don't get me wrong, until last year I was a Bon Appetite Girl putting together menus and shopping to the ends of the earth to find ingredients required to create the latest new dish. My friends and family enjoyed global bounties as often as Mark and I could arrange it. We loved every minute of the cooking and eating experience. But simple foods, prepared outside their season, left something to be desired and we didn't really know why until authors and growers started writing about it. I learned that supermarket food looked good, but the producers were focused on concerns other that taste and nutrition, and that the long term consequences of the industrial food-system are devastating.
So I went looking for local resources and found there is a burgeoning movement in Reno. Our like-minded friends were willing to consider changing the way we acquired food and are drawn to the community-based nature of "shopping" together. Some are interested in taking advantage of absolutely every opportunity to buy local, others pick and choose according to their lifestyle. I still love Bon Appetite and often cook meals from it, but now I try to choose menus with ingredients that fit my new priorities: fresh, local, and seasonal. Bonus: I'm learning to cook in a more freestyle way, using what's available rather than what I "need". It's all good.
We are coming up on the one year anniversary of our first consciously local food purchase. Last year our group purchased an entire grass-fed beef, and made the activity an opportunity to get together and enjoy each others company. This weekend we'll come together, throw the two Tri-tips on the BBQ to cook slowly while we visit and talk about year two.
Next big thing...it's apple season so this week we'll be trying to contact local apple growers because it's time to can for applesauce. More soon!
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