Eat Like a Rabbit

Paul picked up a copy of the Orlando Weekly with an interesting cover on it. The title said "Sole Food." I spent the last few days reading and rereading it. Then, in my free time, I thought about it. First, I searched for a true definition of Sole Food, which was hard to do since my brain kept wanting to spell "soul". Then, I tracked down the original article in the Baltimore City Paper.

There were plenty of negative comments about the article. And I must say, I had a few questions of my own (like most people--including ourselves--have even less of a monthly budget for food than $343. Plus toiletries and diapers have to come out of that budget, too.) But, I followed along with the positive comments and decided it was a good idea to use the article as a learning experience. After all, that's really why I read news items--too broaden my horizons.

First, I started feeling guilty. I'm not obsessed with SOLE food. I buy local if it's cheaper. I buy organic when it's a great deal because if often tastes better and lasts longer. But I have no way of making sure the sources are sustainable and ethical. In fact, I started to wonder how I could know if even the grocery store itself was operating ethically. After all, even if the bulk of my groceries came from a Sole Source, wouldn't I be a hypocrite if the grocery store where I got the rest of my purchases weren't so ethical. Should I even worry about that? Oh, and I should totally scold myself for buying those California grapes last week that traveled so far just because the baby was craving them!

So then, I started to feel a bit jealous. Two sets of friends of ours who live in Washington State have access to CSAs (community supported agriculture, a farming co-op) and large fields of apples and squashes to acquire in the fall and preserve for the remainder of the year. We live in Florida! Even our orange groves where we use to get jams and citrus have disappeared thanks to the housing boom. (This is a whole other story cause now the economy is keeping the houses from being built and the groves are still gone!) There are a few co-ops available in Orlando, but most of what's sold are herbs and bread and you don't pay a one-time monthly fee. You pay for each item you want. Well, I grow my own herbs and have other sources for bread, and the prices were unacceptable if you ask me. The next best thing is the Sunday Maitland Farmers Market or to drive to Tampa and visit that big Farmers Market. Maitland is easy, but driving to Tampa defeats the purpose of buying locally with all the fossil fuels I would burn on the round-trip.

Next came the "Now what?" phase. After my pitty-party, it occurred to me that I don't think I do so badly. Paul loves the taste of Stonyfield Farms yogurt. It's organic, and I pay for it because Paul likes it. Paul gets organic soy milk from Costco, and I drink the moo-kind that is clearly labeled "No Hormones" (often not from Costco). I love Muir Glen canned tomatoes. They're organic and are much better for making my own pasta sauce--especially in the winter when tomatoes are out of season. I consider that a good investment, too, because I'm using my own herbs to flavor the sauce. I visit farmers markets when I can for produce, which we like to have a lot of in our diet. But, the main reason I purchase locally is because of the nutrients, freshness, and ripeness of the product. I don't like the still-green-and-painted veggies in the grocery stores. I want to be able to eat my produce in the next few days, not next week!

Baby Rabbit will be eating fresh-smashed foods instead of jarred baby food when possible to cut down on the trash that will come out of our house--especially in the diaper department. I want to create an environment that is positive and welcoming to our baby. I would love nothing more than to take "field trips" to the farm to select our produce for the week. I think it also instills a love for food and for its source. And, I'm still wanting to expand our container garden. So, these ideas and ideals haven't changed. My goals still haven't changed. What I've learned from the article is to appreciate the efforts other individuals put into paying attention to where their food comes from, even if they aren't completely accurate. Personally, I'll keep learning how to buy the best I can. At least I can watch out for SOLE food now that I know what it means.

By the way, I do want to add that a comment on the Baltimore City Paper website pointed out that one of the best SOLE food actions is to become vegetarian or vegan. I had to smile in agreement. That's one more way, I feel like I'm doing my part to help the environment.

Would you like to know what we're eating next?