Natural Christian Parenting

If you’re like me, you desire to feed your family a menu rich in nutritious foods. I try very hard to have the lion’s share of what we eat be “Whole Foods”, meaning that they are as close to the source as possible. This would mean that I would, for example, make a pot of soup with my own ingredients versus serving soup out of a can or making my own cornbread out of cornmeal instead of a mix. This drastically cuts down on the additives and preservatives that are found in processed foods today. While I’m certainly nowhere near perfect in this regard, the change in my thinking has been significant.

One of the other food related things my family is seeking to change is that we would consume as much of our diet from local foods as possible. I believe that this is significant for several reasons:

• By eating local, I simply come into contact with more people, giving me the opportunity for relationships. I hold this dear especially because I live in a suburb right smack in the middle of a major metropolitan area. Personal relationships seem few and far between in this environment. The pace of life is so fast and we so often just pass others by. By building relationships, I have the distinct opportunity to share Christ’s love with others.
• By eating local, I support my local economy, which only serves to further stimulate the local economy as the farmer spends the money I have given to him for his goods. When I buy food from a grocery store (which is most likely not headquartered in my community), this money leaves my local economy.
• By eating local, my food tastes better! What joy to bite into a tomato that was picked from the vine that morning instead of sitting on a truck for several days and then on my grocer’s shelf for the same amount of time. Hand in hand with that, locally grown produce has more time to ripen. Its not losing those days of transport and thus leads to less wasted food.
• By eating local, I am helping the environment. My food doesn’t travel miles and miles, thus limiting the emissions that would be produced in this transport. In a March 2005 study by the journal Food Policy, it was found that the miles that organic food often travels to our plate creates environmental damage that outweighs the benefit of buying organic. [reference]
• By eating local, I’m more aware of what I’m putting into my body. I’m more aware of what fruits and vegetables are “in season” (thus saving money by not paying top prices for “out of season” produce) and I’m more aware of what agriculture is prevalent in my area.

Of course, this isn’t an exhaustive list of reasons but they are some of my favorites. Now the questions of “how” to eat local comes up. Its not like the food simply shows up on your door step.

A few things to seek out:

• Farmer’s Markets – Many communities set up Farmer’s Markets in a central place in the community. Local farmers, bakeries, and egg and meat producers bring their goods for sale. In my experience, the prices are better than the local market and the taste is superb! Vendors are often willing to barter and make sure to bring your own reuseable shopping bags. If you aren’t aware of where and when your local farmer’s market is, call your local extension office.
• Farm Stands – Ask your friends and neighbors if there are any local farm stands where an individual farmer will place his goods, typically, at the front of his property. Many of these stands are on the “honor system” and you’ll get the freshest fruits and veggies in this way…YUM! I have a local stand and we love it. We stop in several times as week and have gotten to know the farmer and his wife. If I have a special request or need, he can generally make it happen for me…even going out into the field to grab more of a particular item.
• CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) – Miss Ginsu describes a CSA like this: “For any who don’t know, a CSA is a community supported agriculture group, which essentially works like buying stock in a farm at the beginning of the growing season. CSA members (the investors) pony up some cash and determine their terms. The farmers return dividends over the course of the season in veggies and also sometimes (if the farmer/s have relationships with other nearby farms) fruit, farm-fresh eggs or meat and flowers.” These are a “gamble” per se, but generally have a wonderful output. Many also require some number of volunteer hours on the farm. What a great opportunity to really see exactly where your food is coming from.
• Local meat and dairy producers – Many local farms sell their animal good directly to the consumer as well. You have the opportunity to see how the animals are treated and how your meat or dairy is produced. Many dairy’s also deliver their goods weekly in reuseable glass bottles, thus eliminating plastic waste with milk and other dairy containers.

Here are some resources to help you out:

• Local Harvest – Input your zip code and it will help you find resources in your area.
• 100 Mile Diet – Lots of information about eating food all produced within a 100 mile radius of your home.
• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle – This book by Barbara Kingsolver documents her family’s year of living on food that came from their backyard or neighboring farms.

I’m very much still on the journey myself and I can’t even say that I majority of our food is local but I’m taking steps everyday.