Last year wrought a lot of changes in my own view of food, and by extension, the kind of food my family eats. I went from thoughtless grocery store spending to buying food because it was cheap … to eventually buying food because it was good for us.
And good food, I’ve found, is close at hand. Our garden, of course, keeps us in fresh veggies in the summer. But beyond that, we are blessed to live in a rural area where many farmers produce wholesome food. We’ve made some wonderful discoveries, and learned some important lessons about finding food outside of a supermarket.
Here’s what I’ve learned from our adventures in enjoying local food:
- Labels (like “organic” and “free range”) aren’t nearly as meaningful as what you can learn by visiting a producer, asking some questions, and observing their practices.
- Start small with a producer to test things out. Hubby and I purchased a heritage, organic, free-range, ridiculously expensive turkey, and were disappointed to see how dirty things were when it was … um, prepped for the freezer. We wished we’d observed a few smaller birds before jumping in on a big turkey.
- A good producer is priceless. She or he will have a wealth of information about the value of the food you’re purchasing, the difference between methods of producing the food, and even how to cook it.
- Carefully produced food is going to taste better than you imagined.
- Good food is going to be more expensive. You’ll save a bit by buying in bulk, but just expect it to cost more than your average supermarket fare. Even for those of us on a tight budget, it’s worth it.
