Week 1- Going Organic

I love to cook. I love fresh fruits and vegetables, farmer markets and roadside farm stands. Unfortunately, sometimes a local farm stand isn't available when I want tomatoes in the summer, so I head over to Safeway of Harris Teeter. Now, I know they have Organic choices- but the experience of being in a grocery store isn't as aesthetically pleasing as being outside amongst heaping piles of fresh fruit and veggies. I live close to Eastern Market- close enough to walk, not drive, which has local farm stands. I head over there every weekend that I am in town. I like to support the local farmers, and after the research I began, realized how much that support means. I am not contributing to the mass transport of vegetables from across the country and all the waste and pollution that creates. But what about when I can't get to Eastern Market? Door to Door Organics to the rescue! I have begun to order organic fruits and vegetables on-line and have a variety of fresh vegetables and fruits delivered to our door each week. You don't always know what you are going to get- you can choose from a fruit, veggie, or mixed box in small/med/large sizes. My first box I was so excited! I opened it up and the first thing I saw was: Red Swiss Chard. Okay, I have not ever in my life cooked- and I don't think eaten- swiss chart, red or any other color. I keep looking, and I have plums (the dog got ahold of one- she liked it), nectarines, banana's, oranges, zucchini, squash. Now, they are not as big as I am used to- what with my regular purchase of store brand being all hopped up on stuff to make them big. BUT- the banana's I got Organic didn't get all brown and mushy nearly as quickly as the ones I bought at the store. And they tasted much sweeter. AND- I made a great white bean and sausage soup with swiss chard. Delicous.
SO- week one, going Organic (or at least starting to)- ACCOMPLISHED!

The Decision to "Go Green"

Believe it or not, my inspiration came from watching T.V. I was watching the show "Jon and Kate plus 8", about a family with twins and sextuplets. They were going to an organic farm to buy "half a cow". Now, they have 8 kids, 6 of which are 2 years old. Around 80% of the food they eat is organic, and I thought to myself, if a mother of 8 can make the effort to be healthy and organic, so can I. So I began researching Organic farms in my area. I found a couple organic delivery farms, and decided to try those out. Now, organic farms are very mindful of the environment, so there is a lot of mention about packaging and recycling, and reducing waste, etc. So I began MORE research on recycling. And then I realized that I am a huge garbage dump and am contributing the equivalent of a small town to our poor Earth's growing trash, pollution, and waste problems. I right then and there made a pact to myself, that included my husband (poor guy never had a choice), to "Go Green", and make 1 change per week to reduce my mammoth environmental footprint. I have subjected my husband to many a tip, fact, myth, and informational tidbit regarding becoming environmentally friendly, and have forged ahead, hell bent on becoming a little bit more green each week.