There are so many things I love about living in an urban city, even more to love about living in the Chi. Surely, you’ve heard me talk about my fav restaurants, the culture, not to mention the watering holes I have to choose from. While my city has so much to offer, there are some trade offs to living in such a large city. I will, however, be so bold as to say that for a price, you can get just about anything your little heart desires. While I firmly believe the good outweighs the bad, I will say one thing I wish I had better access to (without having to pay an arm and a leg to have at my fingertips) is local, fresh produce, dairy and meat. Not only would I much prefer to directly support a local business (i.e. local farmer) vs. through a corporate grocer (i.e. Whole Foods), but likely it would be somewhat more affordable, and even if it’s only by a slight margin, at least 100% of my purchase would go directly to said local farmer.
It was probably about a year and a half ago when I started to change how I ate. Not necessarily what I ate, but I started to became more aware of where the food I was eating came from. Responsible consumerism, if you will. It was sometime after I was gifted
this amazing cookbook by Jamie Oliver titled "jamie's dinners: the essential family cookbook" where in the forward he writes about the importance of knowing where your food comes from, and making a priority to feed yourself well. Since that time, he has made it his mission to raise public awareness about your food and where it comes from through his Foundation and his television Food Revolution. Since then, I have slowly made changes in how I shop and what I eat and have made it a priority to make as many positive changes as I possibly can.
I would like to add a disclaimer before going any further, however. My change in eating has been, and will continue to be, a gradual process. I do not always by USDA certified organic, I do not always buy grass fed, hormone & antibiotic free meat & poultry. I don't always purchase foods that are preservative, sugar or even sugar substitute free. I still buy prepackaged things and have an occasional Diet Coke every now and again, all the while enjoying meself a cocktail. I can say, however, I have become much more mindful of what I do eat, and as a result of acquiring the knowledge over the course of the last year and half, of how whole, natural foods free of artificial sugars, sugar substitutes, etc are always a better bet that those that aren't. Personally, making the transition this way, is the only way I can do something that will become a permanent fixture. As such, I have begun to actually make mindful decisions about what I buy and eat because I believe in the choices I am making vs. simply making them because that's what others (society, health care providers, etc) tell me is best. Some small changes I have already implemented is primarily only buying organic produce (whether it's actually USDA Certified Organic, Certified Naturally Grown, or from a local co-op or farmer who maintains these standards without paying the hefty price for the certifications). While I have never had a huge sweet tooth, I still partake in the occasional refined sugar sweet, but have begun to purchase
Sucanet to use in place of regular ol' white sugar when I can. While this is not always feasible, and I do definitely still consume sugar here & there, I will make the swap whenever I can. Organic milk and free range eggs are constant staples in our home, as is flavored, unsweetened water (i.e. La Croix), but the bottom line is, I still eat out, I still consume things that are not always organic or free range, etc but what I do believe is that any step, however small, to better my food choices, is a step in the right direction.
I have become a regular follower of this amazing blog,
Heavenly Homemakers. I aspire to someday be as thoughtful and planned about the food I eat as Laura is, and while I defs enjoy reading her recipes and how I can be a better consumer, cook and eater, I am also a realist. I know that having a full time career, whilst living in an urban city in a 1,100 sq. foot condo, preparing nearly ALL my food from scratch (this one-woman-wonder even grinds her own flour from wheat), researching the different sources for said local, organic, free range products without filing for Chapter 11 all the while making room to store said homemade delicacies is just not on the menu here in the Batch household. If, like Laura, I was a stay at home wife, living in rural Nebraska, I may be able to do such things. But, alas, I am not and so while I can't be as dedicated as she, I can make a difference by doing what I can.
Which leads me to the real crux of this post. Switching out to grass fed, hormone and organic free meat, poultry and dairy where and when I can. I did my research to find a local farmer that serves the Chicagoland area (not an easy task peeps), who could provide me such things, without a) breaking the bank and b) doing my share to support local family businesses. After days of research, I think I finally found my gem.
Family Farms Cooperative consists of 3 family owned farms, working together to provide products to the Illinois, Michigan and Indiana areas. All of their beef cattle, lambs & dairy cows are grass fed. All farmers' raise the products with the same integrity-pasture raised in the fresh air & sunshine, no antibiotics & no hormones. For a yearly membership fee of $25, I can get all the products I want, delivered to my home, all the while, reasonably price. This is a huge step for us to make, which will not only require a bit more planning on our parts, but will also likely cost us a bit more than we're used to spending per month. Like Jamie Oliver said his cookbook, most wouldn't go into a store and look for the cheapest shoes or clothes, so why should you do that with your food? That doesn't mean you have to overspend on it either, hence the choice to put in my due diligence and find my local farmer. Yes, buying this way is more expensive that looking for a sale on meat at my local grocery, I also never batted an eye at dropping over $50 per week on purchased lunches downtown. If I instead used that $200 per month toward more healthful food purchases for my household, and prepared wholesome lunches to bring each day, I would certainly come out ahead. For me, it's all about priorities and what takes precedence as prioroty is shifting.
So, what are your priorities peeps? Have you jumped on the organic, free rage bandwagon? If so, how do you manage (regardless of where you live) and to what lengths do you go to find your best options? I would love to hear what (if anything) you do!
Happy Thursday loves!
