Real Food Priorities for Beginners
Life is hard; food doesn't have to be #138 [vol6, 5.3]
Last week, my son (who’s newly graduated from college) asked where he should prioritize his food dollars. After we chatted I wrote up the discussion. Then we discussed more. His girlfriend was also here and they began to hunt online for local food near their summer town.
They started with Google but I told them about TheBootRoots.com , a robust website for real food. It’s a place to find small farms, as well as a host of resources for podcasts, recipes, etc. Check it out.
Weekly Veg CSA
Last week was my first box for a local vegetable CSA from Rootbound Farm. So that stirred up lots of questions…mostly, should they get one?
My answer in a nutshell: no. I don’t think it is for you. We discussed their priorities then I reiterated some of the things I had mentioned in previous conversations.
As beginners in the food prep arena, they are prioritizing time and money.
Reasons I Buy a Veg FarmShare
We eat more vegetables when I have this box coming once a week.
The menu planning question is “how do I use these veg?” instead of “what veg will we eat this week?” (sometimes I don’t even ask that question, see #1). I like a good challenge. I like the variety. Yesterday’s box had kohlrabi and I don’t think I’ve ever purchased that at the store.
Quality is unparalleled. If you’ve had fresh lettuce from the garden, you know what I mean. Or a summer tomato grown locally. Small growers produce delicious food!!
Supporting local farms that prioritize organic treatment of the earth is important to me.
Saturday morning we often have other activities planned when most farmers markets are active. This farm share pick up is Wednesday afternoon just after we pick up milk.
Limited Time and Dollars
These newly graduated college students will be working longer hours this summer and want to get the most bang for their bucks.
Start with the Top of the Food Chain
I encouraged them to start at the top of the food chain, where the most nutrient density is. Protein is eaten at every meal and usually the star of the show. Once you’ve decided the protein, the rest is easy and falls in line.
Buy local eggs whether from a farmer’s market or from a roadside stand. Eggs are rich in nutrients and good fats. Easy to incorporate into your diet!
They probably won’t invest in a half side of beef (they don’t have the freezer space) but they could get a pound of something from the farmer’s market.
I reiterated when buying grocery store meat to consider beef first, chicken second, and pork last, if at all. Beef is the biggest animal, takes the longest to grow to slaughter weight, spends most of its life outside. It’s a very healthy animal. Chicken is grown in six weeks and usually indoors on GMO grain. As for pigs, they are routinely given antibiotics to help with weight gain (helps humans gain weight too! + pass along antibiotic resistance). I try never to eat conventional pork from the grocery store. If there’s one meat to seek out from a farmer, it’s pork.
Look for a source for raw milk. It has protein, fat, carbs, probiotics, vitamins, minerals and enzymes! Did you know it is such a complete food you could live exclusively on raw milk for 6 months or more!
Buy the best quality of the food you eat most often.
Because I have a deep freezer, I buy local meat in bulk. It is more economical this way AND helps me reverse engineer menu planning. How do I want to cook a whole chicken? What do I want to eat with this roast? How can I use another pound of ground beef?
If they prioritize spending their dollars on nutrient dense milk, meat and eggs, the vegetables are easy to fill in from the grocery store…or farmer’s market if they want to buy some on weekends. Grocery stores nowadays have plenty of organic produce and often cheaper than directly from a farmer (this is because of economy of scale.)
Spatulas
John Isaac also asked about what kind of metal spatula I recommended. This fish spatula is my most regularly used spatula in the kitchen. Quite possibly the most often used tool. And these two are available from Amazon for $10. I bought mine for $20 from a kitchen store but these appear to be a solid choice and dishwasher safe! Having two would be very handy.
Life is hard; food doesn’t have to be.
Julie
PS - If you can’t remember what foods I recommended to him last week, here’s the post:
My Son: Prioritizing Food $
My college graduated son is home for a week and we’ve had lots of food conversations. One of his questions really got me thinking and decided to share the answer here.
This is such a helpful perspective! In a world of overwhelming choices, it's wonderful to have help simplifying.