Loved The Poisonwood Bible. Hated The Bean Trees. Never realized that Barbara Kingsolver had a political agenda until Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. And when it comes to food and politics, I generally try to duck and cover (unless it's about fois gras...don't get me started on that one!) But I have to admit, her political ramblings in the name of locavorism and Slow Food were just that: ramblings. No rants, no diatribes. Aside from a few digressions, the book was a moderately interesting memoir of her family's endeavor to eat only what they or their neighbors produced over the course of a year.
Locavorism isn't for me. I live in a townhouse. There is no reasonable facility for housing pigs, chickens, cows or even a moderate-sized vegetable garden. But the principles of locavorism intrigue me. I'm all about food that tastes like food, and preservation of the environment is a nice side-benefit. So, after my fifteenth watery-flavored tomato from the grocery store this tomato season and many proclamations that it was time to check out the farmers' market, I decided to put my money where my mouth is. That was about a month ago. I've been three times, and my family has increased our vegetable intake exponentially. While Barbara portrayed the fun of farmers' marketing as meeting your suppliers and developing a friendship with them, I haven't seen much of that happening. For one thing, the farmers at my market are too busy weighing produce, refilling baskets and making change to engage in small talk. For me, the fun of the farmers' market is the opportunity to experiment with veggies. My new favorite kitchen staple: fairytale eggplant. Check out the photo. They're a little longer than my finger, and not nearly as bitter or tough-skinned as their full-grown cousins. Taste aside, they're just beautiful to look at and fun to eat. And anything that makes vegetables fun is a good thing in my book!
Sorry, Barbara, but I won't be giving up bananas anytime soon. However, I do thank you for the inspiration and I'll definitely be adding some shades of locavorism to my life from now on.
-Rebecca DeW.
I meant FOIE gras!
ReplyDeleteThe only Barbara Kingsolover book that I have read is The Bean Trees, which was required reading in 10th grade. I seriously disliked the book. I swore off reading any of her other works since then, but I will admit that her locavorism is intriguing. I have recently found a Farmer's Market in Newton that I'm loving. In addition to fruits and veggies, baked goods, and ice cream, they also have local fisherman selling their catches. I haven't decided yet if I trust the fish from them, but I peeked over by their stalls last week and thought I might try something next time. My biggest problem so far has been my lack of planning in advance. I have come home with a variety of veggies or fruits that don't quite go together and then struggle to use all of the goods while they are still fresh.
ReplyDeleteRebecca, do you have any good recipes from your farmers market adventures?
- Miss. H
Weeeeell...we've had some of the same issues in terms of coming home with goods that don't go together. On the plus side, the veggies seem to stay fresher longer in the fridge than the storebought ones. We've had to get awfully creative with our vegetables. Some of my favorites include cucumber salad, and a white wine/olive oil pasta sauce with tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and onions.
ReplyDeleteI'd post recipes, but we kind of make it up as we go along...I don't have cooking times/measurements. But I can send you lists of ingredients if you want.
I'm excited for fall. The summer vegetables are pretty standard - what I'd buy in the grocery store year round. But the fall produce is more unfamiliar and fun to explore!
- Rebecca
It's so interesting that you noted the environmental perks as a side benefit. I was just in Saratoga reading an interview with a small farmer and he said that it people would just taste local, fresh meats and produce it would become a selfish act to buy them (b/c they are so good!) and not a holier than though act.
ReplyDeleteSavannah
It is totally a selfish act! Vegetables from the farmers' market taste so much better! We have been eating them for six weeks now and our eating habits have completely changed. You guys know how Mr. DeWinter and I like to go out to eat. We usually don't eat a single meal at home on the weekends (with the possible exception of breakfast). Last weekend we ate two lunches and one dinner at home. Insane!
ReplyDeleteDo you happen to know what magazine that article was in? I'd love to see it.