Comments on: Becoming a ‘locovore’ by using local food and only when its seasonal

By: Thrifty vs Green « Becoming Domestic

Thrifty vs Green « Becoming Domestic — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:27:37 +0000

[...] is naturally thrifty and also kinder to our environment but ever since finishing the wonderful book ‘Animal, Vegetable, Miracle’ by Barabara Kingsolver I’ve been more aware than I was before about the potentially harmful chemicals used during [...]

By: ackers

ackers — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 21:11:33 +0000

Thanks again all. Food is a mightily political issue. Hard also to combine eaiting frugally with eating locally & organically I’m now finding.

Thanks also to Sharon J for giving me some good reasons to feel less guilty about my banana addiction. As a self-diagnosed coeliac (can’t eat gluten) I often wolf down a banana where others might have a piece of toast, biscuit, slice of something cakey.
xx

By: Capital City Mama

Capital City Mama — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 18:50:59 +0000

I loved this book! It completely changed the way I thought about food and eating. You might also enjoy “Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals” by Michael Pollen.

By: Frugal Trenches

Frugal Trenches — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 12:55:56 +0000

Ackers, I just read the quote you left on my site, it’s fab and gave me a good chuckle!

I too loved this book, I bought it right before I changed my life and is still a great reference for me! There’s another book I’d recommend for you about a family with a young child who begin to make their own food over the course of a year – Living The Good Life by Linda Cockburn. You might enjoy it!

By: Sharon J

Sharon J — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 05:57:37 +0000

My only ‘problem’ with buying only local produce is that there are people ‘out there’ who are dependent on exports for their incomes. Therefore, bananas, oranges, papayas, mangos and other fruits that simply don’t grow locally are still welcome in my house although when it comes to food that can and is produced locally, I stick with that.

By: Wendy

Wendy — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 10:31:16 +0000

No I haven’t, but now I will. I’ve been vegetarian for four years and could never go back to meat now. I think it’s a mindset more than anything else. The whole family are vegie, and now I cook everything from scratch and ensure, (with two girls, one a teen), that everyones diet’s healthy and balanced – rather than throwing together meat and two veg!

It’s made me far more aware of our diet and has fitted in so nicely with the simple, more frugal lifestyle we try so hard to live. Besides, it’s much easier to grow veg than raise a herd of cows, chickens and pigs – which would ultimately be kept as pets anyway!!

By the way, love your blog and have been working my way through all your recommended sites. Shame I live in Scotland – would love to pop by for a cuppa!

Wendy.

By: ackers

ackers — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 07:29:27 +0000

Thanks to all for comments so far.

Wendy – did you also read ‘My Year of Meat’ by Ruth L. Ozeki? It made me vegie too but now am a meat eater again but can only stomach eating animals who have had happy times.

By: Wendy

Wendy — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 17:52:33 +0000

I love it when a book has such effect on you. The one that hit me like a sledgehammer was “Not on the label” by Felicity Lawrence – I became vegetarian before I’d even finished it. It completely changed the way I see food and my shopping and cooking habits changed beyond recognition due to it. I’d recommend it to anyone who is brave enough to hear the truth about the way our food is reared or grown. Not for the mild hearted.

I’ve passed it onto many friends and had it returned a few times with “I don’t want to know!!” Maybe it’s better to live in ignorance…. I don’t think so!

Wendy

By: Denise

Denise — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:45:04 +0000

I too rather like the idea of buying and eating only locally produced, seasonal fruit and veg. I like even more the idea of growing my own. I worry, though, that if more people begin to follow suit, the poorer farmers in those developing countries who depend heavily upon trade with us will begin to suffer. But being green (and ethical and caring about the bigger picture) is never a straightforward option is it?

By: Lauren@ThingishThings

Lauren@ThingishThings — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:22:21 +0000

I just heard about this book the other day. It sounds fascinating! I’ll have to check out the website!