So Jaimie and I have started a new “Locavore” diet. Our main goal really is to be conscience of where we spend our food dollar. And also to eat a little heathier. Here in California we are blessed with a wide variety of food options, but that does not prevent Safeway from stocking tastless peaches and tomatoes even in season. What got us started on this was a trip to southern oregon, which seems to be very much for Local food, and the trip back listening to the book “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” by Barbara Kingsolver on tape during the trip home. When we arrived home we decided to give it a try.
Why 200 miles you may ask? Why not 100 miles like I’ve heard so many people talk about recently. While we most certainly have great food and products in the greater bay area, I am a Central Valley Kid at heart. The majority of food produced for consumption not only in california but for the whole of the US is produced in the 99 corridor of the central valley of california. This is also where the greatest push for Conventional Big Ag business is occuring and why we get tasteless produce at our local supermarkets. So in my mind, it’s easy for a farmer in the Bay Area, say Santa Cruz, to go organic and sustainable. It’s trendy and there is a client base here that will pay for their products. It’s a whole different thing for a farmer in the central valley to go against the grain and start growing food based solely on taste. Farmers in Merced and Fresno counties are hooked on the cycle of Monsanto seeds and chemical fertilizers and pesticides like a bad drug. I want to support the small family growers who look at sustainable farming practices as the right thing to do, for their clients, their families and the environment.
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