"Clean Eating" or the "Eat Clean Diet" are semi-new buzzwords out there in nutrition land. I was curious so I looked into it, and it turns out it's what I grew up on. High fiber, organic, lean meats, etc.
We weren't rich, far from it. We lived out of our garden winter and summer (yes, we canned a LOT), and got our meat as much as possible from Dad trading repairs of farm equipment in exchange for sides of beef and pork straight from the farmer (and sometimes rabbit). And of course in hunting season, we got some venison, too. We got our cheese from the local Amish, along with quart jars of sorghum molasses and lots of other stuff direct from the small U-pick growers.
It wasn't a conscious decision, except that money was tight. But that type of eating spoiled me for life out here in Urban land, and it took a long time before the farmer's markets in California and Indianapolis caught up to how I ate in the 1960's in rural Michigan.
These days Oscar and I share an appreciation for organic, natural food, exacerbated by our need to know not only the ingredients, but the processes used to package our food. (Citric acid is often used as part of a process, particularly in organic produce, thus seldom listed as part of the ingredients in organic lettuce and fruits in particular. Casein is used in vegan cheese as a melting aid, thus it is bad for Oscar)
Thanks goodness we have farmer's markets in the area, and now that Oscar has Wednesdays and Saturdays off, there is no reason we can't shop once a week or so for our lovely fresh produce, and hopefully talk to the growers themselves. I understand some sellers buy at larger markets (like one nearby in Detroit) then resell at smaller markets, but with the right questions, I hope we can find reliable suppliers of food we can both enjoy.
If we start now, we should be able to maintain a similar diet in winter, too, aided by frozen veg and our favorite supermarkets.
Today I am having a lovely vegetable soup made with chicken broth, fresh and frozen vegetables, rice noodles and seitan.
6 comments:
Soup sounds lovely!
I made Avocado soup last week...(I can e-mail you the recipe) and cabbage rolls...
Have you looked into the CSA Farms?
Even in AZ we have a few....
http://www.localharvest.org/csa/
I'm totally with you on this issue, Diana! :-)
I am there too.
I haven't figured out how to get to a farmer's market and still spend zero time in direct sunlight like I need to. But I'm there with you--we used to go to pick-your-own farms when I was growing up and can and bottle our own that way.
Today is perfect soup weather-- cold and sunny which is perfect for something warm but not too filling. Your soup sounds heavenly. May I order one bowl now and another to go?
I wish that buying organic wasn't so much more expensive than not. I would love to buy organic, but we're on a very tight budget. I do have a neighbor who sells her chickens' eggs and I love buying them, but they're over a dollar more per dozen!
We have a garden, as much as we are able... our property is very steep so much of it is in containers. But the fresh beans, tomatoes, squash etc is to die for!
I would like to order a bowl of soup too!
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