I need to be honest. I’ve been feeling a little frustrated with the Food Challenge this past week. It’s the amount of time that goes into it. Spring has sprung here in Tennessee and my fickle heart so desires to be outside reveling in the warmth of the sunshine and planting seeds and watching bees and playing with chicks and hiking with my daughter and dining at the picnic table. I’m ready to put away the knitting, the breads, and the heavy foods. I’m ready for easy summer foods! Just as in the Princess Bride I want to “Skip to the end!” of all the hard work and waiting. I want raw foods; tomatoes and peppers with cheese, I want cucumbers and squash and berries! But like the rest of you that are sticking by our self-imposed rules I’ll be waiting as patiently as I can, all the while watching all those delicious and most healthful of foods grow on the vines that I’m now planting. When they arrive they’ll taste all the better. The seasons are changing and I have yet to learn to eat for this season.
This month seems to have affected me and my family in a way I’d never thought possible. I never considered myself a food activist, I always thought of myself as a gardener that enjoyed homegrown food all while being a bit of a Foodie. Going through this challenge has really opened up my eyes so much more to the junk we’re encouraged to feed ourselves. I’ve grown more and more frustrated with the state of food at the public schools including the one my daughter attends. Corndogs, hamburgers, Uncrustables for lunch served with chocolate and strawberry milk? Then to top it off with a sugary snack like cupcakes or Oreos and Capri Sun later in the day? In one year of public schooling, the state untaught almost everything my daughter knew about food. I’m thrilled to see Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution coming to television. I hope the show does make a positive impact on our society and help to make food knowledge even more accesible.
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Then there’s the much debated health reform bill (Please hold all political discussions for another website). Staring down American obesity and the state of the food so many of us consume, I’m so completely thrilled to see that chain restaurants will be required to list a “nutrient content disclosure statement”. I’ve always enjoyed (in a demented sort of way) reading those “Eat This, Not That” articles and have been completely floored to see the nutritional content of some of the foods we may view as remotely healthy or even eat on a regular basis. Maybe, just maybe we’re slowly inching toward a better way of living. Perhaps when more people realize what junk they’re literally being fed that we’ll see an actual food revolution. I hope to see more food activists out there demanding a better quality of food, boycotting the junk, telling schools that we want our children to eat better.
Until that day my daughter will be homeschooled, I’ll be working in the garden, eating fresh eggs from my own chickens, using honey that the bees collected, and waiting patiently for the tomatoes to come in. And in the meantime I think I’ll enjoy my first asparagus spear out of my own garden, hoping.
I too can’t wait to fresh spring veggies, a green salad on my plate is something that makes me smile! One of the things I love about learning to eat seasonally is that the veggies really do correspond with the seasons and our moods.
In the spring you really fee like eating salads, asparagus, and fresh green things.
In the summer juicy berries and ripe tomatoes are so delicious.
In the fall you start to crave heavier foods, tomatoes cooked into rich sauces, peppers and onions sauteed with some beef or chicken, sweet potatoes baked to a golden goodness
In the winter we crave warm hearty stews filled with potatoes and carrots. Baked squash is such a warm and happy vegetable.
As much as I love the benefits of globalization (like having strawberries at Valentines Day) it’s exactly that which has spoiled us. Most of our bodies are probably so confused about what to eat and when to eat it. I think globalization has overwritten our natural instinct to eat in season and so we crave salads with our winter stews and we want tomatoes year round. But you’re right Susy – once we cleanse our body of a lot of those processed items and non-seasonal fruits/veggies we begin to crave what’s available instead of those Doritos or candy bars. Once you get accustomed to eating food at the peak of its season you don’t want to go back to eating them out of season.
NOPE, Doroitos and Snickers never really go away. They are always there like the Devil sitting on your left sholder, TEMPTING and just as good as your remembered. Diet Coke… Can’t quite stop. (Maybe they will do an “organic” Diet Coke so I can stop fretting.) Seasonal eating is great and has it’s own special satisfaction that we have lost in todays global supermarket, but indulgence has no season. Those lushes strawberries will always be tempting on a cold gray January day.
Well if Pepsi is trying to do healthier versions Coke can’t be too far behind! Heh.
Happen to know the former CEO of Coka Cola Enterprises. Organic Coke is on the list. Does that make it OK to drink??? It’s like Organic Kosher hot dogs. Do your really want to know what’s in them? OR eat them? My little girl JJ summed it up for me today while we were shopping for the cub scouts (I’m taking the boys out for the weekend, it should be done snowing and a warm 20 degrees….) We were looking at syrup for the pancakes. I grabbed the $1.89 bottle of liquid corn sludge, and she pointed at the $7.00 tiny bottle of real maple syrup. She asked, “Why is that one so much more?” And I said, “It’s real maple syrup.” And she replied, “It’s not REAL unless you know who made it.” End of discussion.
It’s so interesting to read us all going through the same “stages.” It’s like the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. (except that after bargaining, I think, comes confidence and pride– wow! I can *do* this!)
The most common question I’ve been getting when I tell people about the challenge (after “are you crazy” or “huh?”) is “what about fruit!” Well, because I didn’t put up enough fruit last fall, I’ve been trying to find midwest raisins, which let me tell you is NOT easy, but I’ve also discovered a place that sells Michigan apples in a variety that saves well over the winter (I didn’t even know there was such a thing before), and I’ve been cheating a little bit and making preserves from various citrus, which are never local here, but are on my “can’t live without” list.
Part of doing this challenge is being THOUGHTFUL about food. I can’t eat bananas because they aren’t local. I can’t eat pears because they aren’t seasonal. I need to think about what I’m eating, not just buy it because I see it, or I want it. It’s also made me rethink my garden a little bit, and put in more that I will be able to save myself, rather than focusing on growing what I can eat NOW.
Anyway, I went on and on again, (gyob), but I guess it boils down to, thanks NDIB, for making me think about this.
You’re absolutely right, Xan. Here too, the practice of making my own food has made me more thoughtful about where it comes from and exactly what’s in it. Why do we need all those colors and preservatives? Why are we overstocking our grocery stores and warehouses so much that we need to put so many extra chemicals in our food to keep it “fresh tasting”? If I want food that tastes fresh, I think I’ll get it fresh, thankyouverymuch.
As a whimsical type of gal, the hardest part for me has been to plan meals ahead of time. I usually cook from what I have available and add flavors based on my mood. But I can’t do that with this challenge. You can’t have a sandwich if you haven’t made bread. No crispies unless you’ve prepared crackers.
Btw, when I was up your way last fall I picked up a basket of Michigan apples for slicing and freezing. YUM! Perhaps next time I’m up I’ll be able to get peaches or blueberries!
I started this challenge myself on a whim 1/1/09. I had nothing prepared or put away and my body went through all kinds of cravings. I had meltdowns all the time when what I wanted to make for dinner didn’t turn out or took too long and the kids were whining.
It gets easier and your body stops wanting all those things as you unteach it. Once you learn what is in season and local you relearn what tastes good. And you will soon have things put away, either canned or frozen or tricks up your sleeve to get real food on the table in a hurry.
We need to rethink food and cooking. It doesn’t have to be fancy or exotic. Consider spending one weekend a month cooking up a storm and freezing it in small containers. Form a cooking club where you all show up with enough of a main course to feed 15 and you swap meals for your freezer. Think about making grilled cheese sandwiches or omelets for dinner if need be. Or maybe swing by the store and buy a loaf of bread and some good cheese, seasonal fruit and nuts for dinner. Prebake pizza dough to freeze so you can have pizza in 15 minutes again. Or think paninis.
Make a list of quick things and tack it to your fridge. That way you always have a plan B or C or D.
It gets easier, just take one day at a time.
I’m ready for fresh veggies too! If only the weather would cooperate so I could get in the garden
I just started reading your blog and wasn’t quite sure what the Real Food Challenge was. Now that I’ve read up on it a bit, I am also rethinking my garden. But I am so happy to see you addressing this issue, especially addressing the part of school lunches. (I just posted about that yesterday in my blog, as a matter of fact!)
I have 5 yr. old twin boys who are going to kindergarten next year and I find myself becoming more and more concerned about who and what will influence them when I’m not around. I don’t want to be over protective or hovering but I also don’t want to give up total control to teachers and peers.
As I’m still trying to figure out this parent thing
, we’ll be packing lunches next year…healthy ones! Even if it means more work for me I’d rather do that than have my kids full of corn syrup and preservatives. Thanks for today’s post!
For several months I was concerned that my concern itself meant that I was being overprotective. Perhaps I am in a way, but I’ve learned that if something keeps nagging at me that I need to look at the reasons why it’s bothering me so. I think not only does society get us thinking that we don’t know how to eat, but we don’t know how to raise our own children. In fact, my husband and I constantly ask each other how, as a species, we made it this far ;P .
Good luck!
Thanks for this post. I’m in the beginning stages of all of this, and trying to remember what my mom tried to teach me about food and cooking.
I haven’t taken the Real Food Challenge plunge, but am trying to be more thoughtful about the food that we eat.
Even though it is still store-bought, one thing I have managed to do is convince my husband of the importance of avoiding HFC and enriched, bleached flour in bread.
Emily, every little step is a step toward your goal. It took our family almost two years of eating potato-free and bread- free before we were ready to make the next step. Even now my hubby thinks I’m nuts, but he’ll be the first one to complain of how salty or sweet something is if it’s not homemade.
Keep it up!
Thanks. I’m still at the easily-frustrated point, but enjoy thinking about the end result.
I so have enjoyed eating seasonally (or at least attempting to eat MORE seasonally) … eating this way makes a person so appreciate the goodness of each season. Can’t wait for my watermelons to grow and produce this summer.
This thing is just so unfair. I grew up with more traditional views about what food is and where it comes from. But the younger ones are hit from all sides with the idea that “convenience food” is important because they are so “busy these days.” The pressure on them is hard to resist. Food doesn’t come from Costco and it doesn’t come from Starbucks, but Costco and Starbucks have done an excellent job of convincing so many that they create value that is worth paying for. I was talking to a young woman of my acquaintance recently who told me paying a little extra for “convenience” and “fast food” is “worth it” because her time was “worth something.” These are smart young people, but then wonder why their lives aren’t satisfying. I don’t know what to do about it. It feels a little depressing to me.
I recall one of my college professors telling us that he didn’t cook – that he ate out every night. I suppose it was his way of letting us know he was “better off” than us, but I couldn’t help but feel sad for him. I’m fine with being a foodie or having convenience, but that’s why I prepare foods in advance. I’ll never pretend to be better than anyone else, but I know that being able to prepare my own food is darn right satisfying!
I feel your pain…my hear it yearning for those little seedling in my sunroom to hurry up and give me tomatoes!
Public school food was one of the many factors that contributed to our decision years ago to homeschool…your words about unlearning what you had taught your daughter about food is so very true.
Yes this food challenge has got me thinking and obsessing, and grumping, and cheering for so many things!
Great post…that pictures of the little chick is precious! Kim
Kim, I’m so glad to know I’m not completely insane (I started wondering why I was getting so many odd stares) when I talk about leaving public schooling in part because of the food they serve. Yes, there are several other reasons, but the food – of all things – is one of the top. If anything at least we can be insane together!
Preach on! Though i wasn’t participating in ‘the challenge’ i stopped buying any processed foods a while ago, and feel so much more satisfied and healthy after a breakfast of whole cooked grains and homegrown eggs. I’m frustrated with my inability to get my crackers neither burnt nor soft, but i find it so rewarding to be making just about everything we eat, save bread (i just don’t seem to have the knack for baking, or the ability to resist homemade bread!).
It really freaks me out what most people consider to be ‘cooking from scratch’ or ‘real food’: dinner poured out of a bottle, or cardboard box then heated up is NOT cooking. I sure hope something can change, for everyone’s health. in the meantime, i’ll feel good knowing that at least i (and you all, of course) are eating actual food and not some strange substance masquerading as such.
Midranda,
I’m a stay at home dad/farmer. I don’t pretend to be a great cook. But, I’ve baked some killer bread using the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes book. GET IT! We also did some killer crackers. Getting them thin by using a pasta roller and cooking them on a really hot stone seem to be key. (we made lots of bad crackers before we got here.) I’m not even going to start on the “Just like home made” marketing ploy. That’s a whole bunch of posts. Thanks for participating in the conversation.
Has anyone else noticed how ads, which used to say “as good as homemade” now say “as good as a restaurant.” This is what freaks *me* out.
I flipped out at the 60 second long add about farmland preservation done by Monsanto on NPR. You know Monsanto, the leaders in preserving farmland and securing our food supply. It was SUCH a nice add you almost missed the company. Reminded me of solyent green….
That’s not the first time in the last month that one of the three of us has referred to Monsanto with Soylent Green.
PS: it’s a it unfair to all of you, but tonight for dinner we’re having a garden fresh salad with lettuce, spinach, herbs, and little carrots all from the garden. Love Spring in Austin!
It’s supposed to snow an inch tonight here in mid OH. Spring is a myth untill well into April. (I do have peas up an inch in my unheated greenhouse and spinach, arugula, lettuce, carrots, and… plastic is wonderful stuff used correctly!)
I’m jealous! We’re finishing off some some turnips and the last of the purple sweet potatoes I found on the last shopping trip. I’m so hoping to find some springtime local items on the next trip. That or I’m completely in for a CSA next winter – parsnips or no. We’ll just have to learn to like ‘em.
This week has been harder for some reason for me as well. I’m tired over all and I’m sure that plays a part….and I am SICK of doing dishes. Making all this means a lot of dishes.
I, also, am craving the veggies of spring/summer. I can get kale, mushrooms and leeks…but not much more.
I do love the increased consciousness this month has had and am looking forward to pondering my final round up in the next week!
Meg, come pick all the mache, turnips & rutabagas you want. I still have a huge bag of carrots, brussel sprouts and beet greens in the fridge too that I haven’t harvested yet. In 20 days we’ll be eating salad greens and asparagus will hit the farmer’s market. I haven’t been since Dec since we’ve been eating down the garden but you can grow quite a bit of stuff year round here and I’m surprised there isn’t more at the farmer’s market. Seriously, come pick from my garden. I need to take it all out in the next few weeks to get spring stuff in before the open garden.
We’ve been going outside LOTS the last 2 weeks (which is why in part I’ve failed on the real food challenge). I’ve been working in my yard, starting my plants, walking around my neighborhood, and letting the kids out to play. I end up coming back in the house to find that it’s like 6pm. It’s just been too wonderful outside to be bothered with cooking and cleaning inside. Today it’s windy and there’s a storm rolling in, so I’ll be stuck inside and much more likely to make things at home.
(I was out of town and am catching up! Great posts this week!)
“I never considered myself a food activist” really resonated me. As a long-time vegetarian, people often ask me why I stopped eating meat. The reason I *became* vegetarian wasn’t strong, but the reasons I *stay* vegetarian have grown over the years. The more I learn about our food system, the less I want to eat a lot of things. We don’t have kids yet, but I am already concerned about what they will eat at home and elsewhere.