I had to cave. For most of the summer and into the third week of Oct I was able to buy about 90% of my food locally. But then I got to this last week and with a diminishing bank account, I went to Trader Joe's, Grocery Outlet and Food For Less for a few things that I just couldn't do without. At Trader Joe's I got some hazelnuts (I usually get them from
Strictly Organic's other company, Mom's Nuts) which were a quarter of what I usually pay. Being that almost all hazelnuts are from Oregon, that purchase didn't cause to much guilt. I also bought some dried fruit and a chicken - not from the Northwest. I then crossed the parking lot to Food For Less since I had heard they had specials on Washington apples and squash from Hood River. At $.68/lb (for 10 lbs or more) for Yakima Fugi's, it was a great deal. They did have Acorn squash at $.98/lb from Hood River and a variety from Sauvie Island (near Portland). I also got 5lbs of sugar (obviously not local) but using local raw honey as our only sweetner is breaking the bank. At the Grocery Outlet I got some organic cheddar (from Wisconsin and $1.99/lb), some Naked smoothies for my sons lunch, and a GREAT bottle of Chilean Merlot for $2.99.
Of course I am still getting all that I can from my CSAs but when the pennies are few and the refrigerator is empty, it becomes crystal clear how under priced industrialized food is, and how it may take some time to learn to appropriately budget for 90% of my families diet to be of food produced with out subsidies, chemicals, 1000's of miles of transport or inhumane treatment.
Update 11/10/08
Those hazelnuts I got at Trader Joe's? They were rancid - ended up taking them back and splurging on Mom's Nuts. It usually pays to go with what you know is quality.
1 comment:
I'm not surprised at all about the rancid hazelnuts. Mass packaged and sitting in the light, near the brightly day lit front of the store in the case of the one I used to go to, in clear plastic that are sealed with a bunch of air inside them...
What made me stop shopping there for anything but maple syrup, is that they buy from other companies and put their own label on it. Fine whateva. But then they refuse to tell you where the product originally came from.
I went to TJs to buy Stauss Family yogurt which they had carried for a couple of years. Struass is a Marin organic dairy that I felt great about consuming copious amounts of. I could not find it that day but saw a Trader Joe's Organic Yogurt with a similar red and white label. I asked the guy stocking it where the Strauss was. He handed me the TJ brand and said it was the same thing. He said that they bought it from Strauss and put the TJ label on it. I thought, okay. Strauss is Strauss. Then I went back another day and asked where another Trader Joe's branded product was from and the manager told me that they "do not disclose that information". Even when I said that part of my decision in buying products has to do with if it is locally grown/produced. He just shrugged his shoulders.
That was the day I stopped purchasing anything other than my maple syrup there. I buy a Shasta honey at Rainbow Grocery Co-OP in the city now that is actually affordable.
But your point about re-assessing the real cost of food that is raised humanly, healthfully in co-creation with the earth, is a point that can and should be applied to life style in general. Its all about getting back to the healthy interdependence of the village and living within healthful means.
did I mention...great blog?
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