"I'LL DO IT MYSELF" SAID THE LITTLE RED HEN

Today I went plant shopping with my friend Tracy. Since my encounter with the movie Food Inc. I have completely changed how I view food in the supermarket and what I choose to serve my family.

Food Inc. is a documentary exposing the less than savory practices of the food industry. From meat processing to corn, the shocking truth about how chickens are raised and slaughtered, the mass processing plants for meat, the run off from cattle farms into vegetable crops carrying e-coli. All of this scared me into being a more contiencious consumer.

It isn't just becuase of this movie that I am changing the way I shop. It has been a progressive switch and for many reasons. I use my local butcher because he gives me what I need and the quality is superior. We are now buying farm fresh eggs because the eggs are bigger and you can see the difference in the yolk which is a dark orange rather than yellow. I also just found out today that a local apple orchard sells produce beyond just apples so I am going to go there first for my fruits and vegetables. I am also going to TRY to get to the farmer's market here in town but to be truthful it is very small and the selection is not good. Still I want to support local farmers so as I said I will give it a try.

This brings me to my next venture. For the past 2 years we have had a vegetable garden. It's been more of a hobby than anything else really but this year I would like it to become the primary source of our produce. We also have an enormous pear tree that gives us about 10 baskets every year. I may even plant a cherry tree this year. Eventually I would like to have our own chickens but I think my husband might have something to say about that. Perhaps when we are older and retire to the country, as we dream to do one day, I will be able to get a cow too!

In order to further the 'freshness' factor I started baking my own bread last week. I cheat a little and use the bread maker to do the mixing and rising but I still take the dough out and make buns or loaves. I don't find the bread maker does a nice job doing the final bake.

I don't know if it is old age or watching too much documentary television but I just feel a need to 'make' more of what we eat. Years ago we would have to work the land, grow our crops, reap what we sow and bake the bread. There was more of a sense of appreciation for the food we ate. Now we just jump into our car and head to the store.

There is so much waste in our society including our food and I think alot of that has to do with our sense that everything is disposable. If we had to work hard to make everything we eat and grow then maybe we would value it more. I know I have been guilty of wasting food in the past. I went through a phase where you couldn't see the back of my fridge either but that time has passed. I want to value the food I put on my plate and savour every morsel. I know all this sounds pretty pioneer-ish but if it makes me and my family healthier then slap a bonnet on my head and move me to Elmira with the Amish because I think they have the right idea. Work hard for what you have, support the community, provide for your own and you will thrive.

IT'S NOT THE END OF THE WORLD...ERR I MEAN FOOD WOMAN!

So once again I am going to complain about being broke. For good measure I am going to examine how being broke effects my eating. I know what you're thinking 'oh great here she goes again. Trust me this is interesting. I'll even talk a bit about my life growing up. Not too much mind you. I am saving that for when we get to know each other better. I don't want to scare you off after only our second week of blog dating:)

I was raised by my mother the Great Heather M. She worked her but off to put a roof over our head, clothes on our back and food on the table. It was hard. She worked 2 jobs at one time AND went back to school to become a Health Care Aid. I am very proud of my mother. Still it was very difficult to raise 2 teenage girls with no financial support and low wage jobs so there were times we went without. We never were without food or shelter but there were many times we had to make due with what we had.

Most days we ate pre-packaged food because that was all we could afford. We ate things like Kraft Dinner, Chicken cutlets, and other food that was packaged on styrofoam trays (which I now have an aversion to). I even remember trying to make spaghetti sauce out of ketchup. My sister can appreciate just how disguisting this was.

I can say I learned to be creative in the kitchen...but I also developed some very bad eating habits.

I always felt like I had to eat what was in the fridge while it was there. I knew it wasn't going to go bad but I was afraid there wouldn't be enough later. I'm not certain if this was some sort of primal misguided survival instinct but this is the reaction I chose. I think to a certain degree I still have this bizarre behaviour. There is a certain anxiety I feel around food and that there may be a lack of it. I know a friend of mine who was quite poor growing up. Now she has a need to pack her fridge and I mean PACK! You cannot see the back for food and every spare inch of her storage is filled with paper towell, toilet paper and feminie products. If there is ever an apocalypse I know the safest place to be is this woman's cold cellar cuz DAMN it is choc full O goodness!

When the cupboards are looking a bit sparse in our house I feel tense. I suppose I am afraid the next time I open it there may be nothing. I get tense and anxious which is similar to what I felt in high school and as a result I eat. To add to the problem I feel this tension more than just over food. This tension happens when there is little money, when I can't have something I want, when I have a deadline I am afraid I won't make...in all of these situations I eat.

I know that this all seems a bit far fetched but really it just comes down to feelings. Tension causes panic, causes overeating. This is just another que I have to be aware of next time I am in any of these situations. I guess it helps to be mindful of it now so next time we only have one slice of bread or one piece of bacon I don't get the urge to snatch it up in my greedy paws and devour it like a starving T-Rex. It's in these moments I need to be more aware of my physical self and say 'you're not hungry crazy woman. Step away from the fridge'.

Thanks again for listening everyone!