There’s something about this time of the year… it always makes me think about food.
Ok.. I confess there is always someone thinking about food in this house all year round. My children ADORE food…and I don’t mind some myself either. At this time of year though, I begin to think more about the type and quality of food we eat. I begin to think about how we can eat better.
I’m sure it has to do with the fact that at this time of year the possibility of eating better is just outside my back door or sprouting on my windowsill, rather than trapped with the moths in our empty wallets. At this time of year I am filled with the possibility of being able to grow our own food, rather than lamenting the fact that we can’t afford to buy organic this or bio-dynamic that.
It also helps that spring heralds the beginning of salad season and all the delicious summer fruit is just around the corner. Those two things alone make it so much easier to eat well at this time of year.
Not that I don’t strive to feed my family good, healthy food all year round. Of course I do. It’s just that it seems so much harder in the colder months.
We are by no means the perfect model of a healthy eating family. We eat our fair share of processed rubbish which is barely even real food and we all have a very large, and somewhat flabby, soft spot for sugar, especially me. We are far from perfect, I am far from perfect, but I don’t think it’s about eating perfectly, it’s about eating better.
For me it is about eating less processed food, less artificial anything, and more real food. While I respect those who choose to be vegetarian or vegan I don’t aspire to that. I’m not even striving to eat 100% organic. I’d just like to be more mindful of food, what is in it and where it came from. I’d like us to eat more food made from scratch and less processed food. I’d like us to eat more food that I know has been grown ethically and kindly.
In a perfect world we’d have buckets of money to spend on wonderful food, but didn’t I just say this wasn’t about being perfect? Sure there are plenty of books I want to read about food and growing and sustainability and plenty of blogs I subscribe to (La Femme de Sourrou and Down to Earth are two I like) and never enough time to read it all or learn it all or do it all. Long term we have big dreams… Dreams of growing our own lamb, growing a field of sunflowers to press for oil, maybe a goat to milk one day.
Whether or not those dreams ever come true is debatable, but for now we are happy planting veggies and trying to keep the birds of the first fruits in our orchard. For now we are happy collecting the chook’s eggs and hoping at least one of the ducklings is a girl. For now we are happy tinkering making bread, trying out new foods and recipes. Taking little steps towards eating better.
ETA – wow I am really getting around this week. I’ve got an article posted at the Eco Toys Blog today – Play and Learn : Birthday Cake.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I don’t even have my own veggie patch yet – on my list of things for next year. I to aspire that we eat better, You definitely seem on the right track!
I also try to make sure we eat more ‘whole’ foods than processed foods. It can be tricky and take longer and I am no fan of food preparation but I know that it is better for us in the long run.
Wish my caulis looked like that!
Oh, I have severe cauliflower envy here!!! All cf has ever led to here is hope killed by heartbreak!!
Having said that, I love that we can have silverbeet, shallots, pumpkins, herbs, chillies and tomatoes and strawberries out of our garden RIGHT NOW and are looking forward to many more goodies very, very soon.