When I first decided to write this article, I intended for it to be chock-full of tips on saving money on food for you Zoners and Paleo eaters. Unbeknownst to me in the inception, it would lead me on a path of food illumination that has further shifted my perspective away from the westernized paradigm of nutrition and closer to organic, free range, whole food, locavore mentality (though still weighing and measuring in block portions for athletic performance purposes); And like with most changes of attitude comes the difficulty of taking what you have learned and some how find a way to have it fit into your life. This is where I currently am, in the requisite middle ground of changing the from my modern archetype of food choices that are healthy by comparison to the general population to a diet that is composed of locally grown food that tends to be more nutritious and has a substantially smaller carbon and petroleum foot print compared to its multinational counterparts flown in from all corners of the nation and world. Going forward, I will assume that those reading this article are aware of the following two tid bits (whether you agree with it or not). 1. Almost ubiquitously, locally grown organic whole food in season is more nutritious (and better tasting) than vegetables, fruits, and meats that have been shipped hundreds if not thousands of miles to get to you. 2. Locally grown food is often more expensive.
Nancy M. Childs, a professor in the Department of Food marketing at Saint Josephs University, notes in a interview with The New York Times that “Whats [in regards to buying local, organic, fresh food] is important is that people eat well, within their means.” The intention of this article has drifted away from absolute frugality with food and towards how to go about finding QUALITY food in the first place.
Remember, “Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and NO sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat (Greg Glassman in this video).”
The easiest way to go about getting local food is to find your local farmers. Since every farm is different you will need to hunt around for the right farm(s) for your specific needs. Here are some great sites to find farmers in your area. Local Harvest is the most complete and Eat Wild concentrates on meat opposed to vegetation.
- Local Harvest
- National Sustainable Agriculture
- Local Sustainable Organic
- Wilson College
- Farmers Market
- Eat Wild (Thanks Brian for the link).
Through Local Harvest, I was able to find a local family owned CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). A CSA is much like a subscription. You buy a share of the farm and depending on the specifications of the farm you get an assortment of food through out the entire season. Since I am traveling until May a CSA doesn’t work well for me but I have been going to a local farm called Terry’s Berries once a week and picking up what I need. There is a certain sense of primal connectives you get meeting the people who grow your food and being able to pick some of it your self. Of course, for those of you who are currently in a position to do this, the option to grow a portion or all of your food exists as well.
Since buying my food from local farms is still very new to me I am still learning and developing my thoughts about it but I plan to write much more about my experiences with it as time goes on.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Great piece. I find that shopping at the local farmer’s markets tends to actually be cheaper than shopping in the grocery chains in the same area. The problem is that living in upstate New York the farmer’s markets are only open 1/2 the year.
Gummo,
My experience with farmer markets and CSA’s is that they are little more expensive but perhaps I just need to keep looking. I do notice that it people spend more money at the store; more options you tend to buy more.