Be Local and do it Yourself

Eating local food has become a sort of culinary fad in recent years, but why is it actually beneficial to eat local? Many people treat eating local food as some type of status symbol (nothing wrong with this) or assume it is just magically more healthy. The energy reality of this situation is that eating local produce is an important step in reducing our energy reliance and fostering future sustainable towns. When you buy something at the grocery store, nearly always, that product was grown far away, cultivated by energy intensive machines, and and then shipped to your area. This is in stark contrast to most locally grown food which is hand planted, hand picked, and sold locally. Another advantage is that, although local produce sometimes appears a little more irregular than store bought produce, it is just plain better. Irregular is normal. It is the freakishly large tomatos/apples/etc. that are juiced up with steroids and coated in pesticides that are not natural. In addition to the fruits and vegetables I grow at home, I have also started to bake my own bread which, if I may say so myself, is far better than the store bought loaves and at a fraction of the cost. Although I am still currently reliant on store bought flower, yeast, and the such, it lets me create preservative free bread and skip the bakery step in production. Just 1 more step towards a sustainable lifestyle. Any suggestions regarding bread are appreciated. What a beautiful fall day, huh!

Please love and be loved!