Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

[soccermom]

Just started reading, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life" by Barbara Kingsolver. It's about a family that decides to buy only food raised in their own neighborhood, grow it themselves, or learn to live without it. Looks like some good recipes too.

[lushy]

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Thanks will check it out. Sort of reminds me of the Oprah I saw last week about Freegans; people who dumpster dive for good food. I was amazed and horrified at the great organic stuff, packaged salads, cereals, etc., that gets thrown out (in perfect condition). I think I am going to become a Freegan.

[soccermom]

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Freegans? Interesting yet disgusting. I will look into sharing your enthusiasm. Sure would save money on groceries.

[lucky 2.0]

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Freegans go on a spending fast. I have read up on it. BF wanted to be freegan for 2008. I might try a week without spending but food is excluded and car/gas spending excluded. Freegans are extremists but I applaud the effort.

[Prest4time]

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Sounds Freegan extreme to me!

[FallenAngel]

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Prest4time;293935 wrote: Sounds Freegan extreme to me!

LMAO!! That was "priceless"!!

[amethyst]

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Soccormom, I read this, and really enjoyed it. I also read Plenty, which she mentions several times towards the end of the book. The Plenty authors are a young, hip, urban couple who decide to eat only that which has been grown in a 100 mile radius of where they live. The 100 mile diet originated from that experiment, and later book. Both very thought provoking reads about how far our food travels, and how much out of touch we are with our seasonal food supply.

[flyinhigh]

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Ive read this book also, and actually got to hear her speak about the trials and tribulations of growing your own food (pics were included). Afterwards I got to meet her and she signed my book. I love Barbra Kingsolver and highly recommend other books by her!

[Noelle]

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

My family would starve to death if we did that.

[hippie37]

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

I regularly used to raid supermarket dumpsters for food when I was squatting in London and broke. I also used to frequent the markets for wasted fruit and veg that had fallen on the floor. I saw an episode of Wipe Swap funnily enough a few months back were one of the families were Freegans. I felt sorry for the kids really as they obviously weren't getting a balanced and healthy diet. I still hate seeing food being wasted and it does get my angry to see just how much we do waste.

I'll look forward to some of the recipes then soccermum in the new recipe thread!!

Love and Happiness
Hippie
xx

[TiredofHiding]

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

This is a great book and really opens your eyes to issues around our food sources. I was inspired to start going to our farmers market more and subscribed to a magazine - Edible Santa Fe - that focuses on these same issues in our part of the world. I've found more organic suppliers and upick it orchards. They have Edible communities around the country and I'm not sure about other countries.

I have to laugh because Barbara Kingsolver and her family left the desert southwest to do this. She's right - it's awfully hard to grow a full variety of vegetables in our climate - they shrivel up and die. But I have a freezer full of locally grown roasted green chile that gets me through the year!

I don't think I've read a bad book by Barbara Kingsolver.

[spottydingo]

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Edible magazines

The Edibles are sprouting up everywhere. To find one in your area see:

Edible Publications

I think they're franchises so the info may differ from locale to local, but they are a good resource for local markets and local products.

[greeneyes]

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

For crying out loud. Ya'll are keping me form the hole work. So I read this article from the Guardian on dumpster diving and these guys go to Marks and Morgan which is aparently high end. Get all kinds of good stuff. Guy is a writer (imaginge that). So they ride bikes, raid and go home with the booty. My mind's eye wanders to me riding my bike to the local grocery store. In the dark. Rememer police have seen me in nighty and bathrobe at odd times of night. How can I drag a step ladder and flashlight with me on the bike? Would I have to compete with rodents? It's just too hard. :H Maybe if I just think about it it will appear in my fridg.