I tend to have some unique ‘rules’ I adhere to regarding food…
…like eating fruits on their own (and with their own kind)…
An Eastern/Western doctor told me about this one and others that I’ve followed for
–I think–
over a decade now, and it makes a difference as to
how the food and nutrients are absorbed into me. I love these little ‘rules’.
Re: the food front, I have been experimenting with something new:
only eating produce that is 1) local to me and 2) thereby then, in season.
I am starting to see and understand more and more how this experimentation is healthier for me and the planet.
{Something I knew about but actively didn’t engage in…}
At first, it took some adjustment to my morning ritual: what would take the place
of that sweet Fuji apple I ate every day for 365 days straight, and then on repeat for ten years?
Would I only be left with eating acidic peaches that somehow left my stomach feeling a little at sea?
Or how about those seemingly plump, purple plums that got me every time:
piercing their crisp skin made my own shudder because their tartness puckered my palate.
Living in California and particularly where I live, I have access to some of the most diverse crops yet I rarely take part and instead,
stick to my Fujis (occasionally picking up a Pink Lady or Honey Crisp), avocados, and almonds.
After living here a full year, I am starting to see the seasonal cycle cycle through again, providing quite the spread of beautiful
strawberries, peaches, and about twenty different kinds of oranges and tangerines.
{No joke}
I think I am into the third or fourth week now, and I have to say
I am learning some tricks to keep me in the game of eating seasonally when it can be challenging:
(1) make sure I actually like the fruit,
(2) be willing to explore, take risks, and be open,
e.g. trying a different peach variety or buying just one ‘real peach’ (a.k.a. a Lady Yellow Peach) and experimenting with it somehow…
(3) mix up the produce instead of the usual ‘one crop shop’, and
(4) make sure the luscious fruit is actually ripe when I consume it.
{I realize I’m going to sound naive, but I’m surprised at what a difference this makes. Hello purple, sweet plums!}
P.S. While standing in line at the grocery store a couple of weeks ago, a headline in a magazine caught my eye: something about food deserts in Chicago + an urban farm. My sister (who lives in Chicago) mentioned a few years ago to me that some folk had just discovered a ‘food desert’ in Chicago’s South Side. In other words, a big stretch of concrete existed in a very sketchy part of town without food stores nor public transportation routes for those folk who did live there to quickly get out of there to buy some food. I picked up the magazine and scanned the article since this was the first time I had heard of anything related to this since. I’m attaching the article here. (It’s a cool read, and it seems like this way of farming known as aquaponics–or in my vernacular, the ‘hydro-water thing’–is really picking up steam. A couple of months back, in my own research for creating a garden within limitations, I came across a West Oakland man named Eric Maundu who is doing just this and creating a business out of it: Kijani Grows.) The method is completely replicable, self-sustainable, and can be created in places without any access to soil or large spaces. It’s inspiring that this innovative method of farming can help alleviate issues of food scarcity and/or encourage urban farming. (And a special thank you to The Plant for what you’re doing for those Chicagoans–truly amazing–as well as to Eric for being the very kind of innovator this country needs. Very inspirational.)
