summertime food for thought and thoughts for food

Surprise! I finally got off my lazy duff and posted.. more more-over, I found something interesting to comment on. Where the heck have I been? Thousands of fan letters have been asking the same question ( ok  one person emailed and asked what was up with my 'so called' blog, but I tend to exaggerate for effect).

Hope you are having a great Summer. I am.  

Of my favorite discoveries I'd point to two:

1) stumbleupon. If you haven't found it... find it. Use Firefox browser for best results.  basically its a way to share content, any content (pics, blogs, videos, music) with your friends. it also allows you to teach its search component what you like ( you vote after each result - thumb's up or down). I'm spensational1 ... look me up!

2)locally grown, humanely raised eating.

yes, Kell and I have become locavores. I have been encouraging her to blog but I think she is too modest to share her the knowledge she has been acquiring over the past year.  Spoiler alert: here's where I get kinda deep.

 Most people never think about where their food comes from.  I really didn't until this year. I've never had an issue eating animals.  I think I always knew that some bad things ( besides being put to death) happened to animals I eat, but never wanted to really consider the current state of our food supply with commercial feed lots keeping animals in horrible conditions, pumping them full of anti-biotics and killing them inhumanely.   I read Michael Pollen's "Omnivore's Dilemma"  late last Spring so I could understand how my wife had such a complete and immediate change of heart. So complete that she ( and by my good fortune we) have actually made changes in our actions that reflect this (new philosophy) in our diet and eating habits.

We've planted a small garden ( no small feat for a house in Piedmont Heights / Atlanta) from organic seeds with organic dirt etc. Heirloom stuff, nothing genetically modified by monsanto or other industrialized food behemoth.  ( sample beans , cuc's and mater's pictured)

                                                                  

We've joined a couple of CSA's (community supported agriculture).  Depending on which one you join, you can get great veggies, humanely raised meats and much more delivered from the farm to a variety of pick up  places around the Atlanta area.  I would promote mine but I'm keeping it to myself.  Not only does it takes better, but it makes you feel good to know the animal wasn't raised inside a small box wallowing in its own feces and fed corn and anti-biotics. The grass fed meats we get are from cows who spent their days in open pastures- it tastes great and has less fat  and the eggs we get are from hens who actually wonder around fields eating what hens eat are so much better tasting and healthier for you.

To sum up what this change of habits has meant to me in a few paragraphs is impossible. I haven't even mentioned how shipping foods from south america to our local grocery stores is bad for the environment or how  great it is to go to my local farmers market and actually meet the farmer who planted the food I'm going to eat. How cool is that? 

Thanks Kelly.

Who gives a sh*t? You may ask. Well maybe if you thought about it, you would too.

p.s. I'd be remiss if I didnt include this link to the humane societies' current endeavor to stop animal cruelty within our food supply ( this is a good thing ) so click here and sign the petition.