It's Easy Being Green: Local Produce Rocks
On Mondays, Michael explores the world of environmentalism and its intersection with queer culture in the column It’s Easy Being Green, despite what Kermit says.
I’ve been focusing so far on two very important aspects of green living: food and transportation. Choices we make every day in regards to what we eat and how we get around greatly impact the environment. These two aspects also interact with one another when it comes to the source of the foods we eat. Locally grown produce is about the healthiest thing you can eat, as it is low on the food chain and doesn’t require a lot of resources to travel from the farmer’s field to your supper plate.
One easy way to secure a lot of fresh, local produce is to participate in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). This potentially cryptic term is actually just what it says: agriculture supported by the local community. Here’s how it works. You pay up front and then get a weekly supply of fresh vegetables delivered to your door or a farmer’s market near your house. Unlike when you buy produce at the grocery store, you actually help pay the farmer for the resources used to grow the food, it actually belongs to you in a way. You basically buy a “share” of the farmer’s yield, which is why CSA is often called “farm share.”
In the video above, I talk you through the contents of my box of produce from this past weekend. I’ve already included a lot of the items into food I prepared last night, that my boyfriend and I will enjoy for lunch all week long: the basil and radishes are two ingredients in a pesto pasta salad; and the corn and peppers play key roles in a black bean and fresh corn salad. I actually video-taped the preparation of these dishes and will post them online soon.
I know a lot of queer people who cook. But for each that buys fresh produce and makes delicious food from it, there is at least two more who assemble meals out of pre-packaged, processed foodstuffs. I often wonder about people’s motivations, and where there is anything particular about sexual orientation and gender identity that might influence how we decide to feed ourselves. I, for one, spent a lot of time helping my mother in the kitchen while my brothers were outside playing “home run derby” in the cul-de-sac in front of our house, and picked up a lot of skills and recipes along the way. I appreciate the connection between food, family and culture, and take pride in preparing foods that remind me of and pay homage to my past.
Like last week, I’m going to conduct another poll. This one is about our eating habits. Please click below to let me know how you choose to feed yourself, and where those products come from.
Finally, I have pictures from all the CSA boxes I’ve received this year so far. Take a look at all the amazing fruits and vegetables that I’ve had delivered to the farmer’s market 2 blocks from my apartment.
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