Food

So, from my last post, perhaps I'm changing my tune. I recently finished reading 'Animal, Vegetable, Miracle' by Barbara Kingsolver and it has really got me thinking about buying local and organic food. The book is about Barbara's family setting out to eat only locally grown organic food for a year, much of which they grew themselves. It has educated me about the origin of our conventionally grown food, how our food choices affect our economy, health concerns and more! I HIGHLY recommend this book....except for this family's spiritual persuasions, or lack thereof, I really enjoyed it.

'The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof.' 1 Corinthians 10:26

I believe this is true and if so, should we not treat this earth (and the fullness thereof) as the Lord's property, with care and respect? I'm not saying let's all worship the earth. But as Christians we talk about managing our money as the Lord would have us. We mean to care for our bodies because they're the temple of the Holy Spirit. Does this care of our bodies not demand a deeper look into what goes into our mouths several times a day?

The current trend of farming in the US today is unsustainable. We're using more resources than is necessary to grow subpar food because that's what makes the quickest buck (for big business and oil companies, mind you). 'The love of money is the root of all evil.' 1 Timothy 6:10 (the root?? Wow, God has a funny sense of humor, huh?)

**Did you know? More calories are grown in the US than are needed. So, they're dumped into our packaged food in the forms of High Fructose Corn Syrup and Soybean Oil (the 2 huge crops that we grow here). Gross.
**Did you know? The US grows something like a million lbs of potatoes and exports most of them just to import even more than that. What? Why don't we just eat our own potatoes? Do you think the farmers are benefitting from this exchange of goods? I don't think so.

In order to grow animals at the highest rate of profit, they are raised in horrible conditions (standing waist-high in their own poo, shoulder to shoulder with the other cows). No wonder there is mass use of antibiotics on animals. They don't have enough natural space to be healthy. We would never treat our pets as our meat animals are treated. That would be called animal cruelty. Somehow, the idea of mass raised animals for consumption throughout the country has been perverted to its current state.

Plants: pesticides are used to kill the bugs to grow bigger, better veggies, but the pesticides also kill off the predetors of the veggie-predetors. Also, as pesticides are used, the veggies themselves lose their natural ability to withstand some predetors and still thrive. Hmmm, something's wrong with this picture. Also? How long can the dirt continue to grow plants for us without proper crop rotation? Perhaps the farmers on small family farms know it can't continue indefinitely and that's why they're using organic growing methods to farm sustainably.

Seems to me there have been lots of precesses throughout history that have been set into motion to get us something quicker, easier, cheaper, better, safer or for the quickest buck that in the long run have been shown to not be a good idea. And we go back to the way things were. Perhaps food is another.

So, I will be switching over, little by little according to budget, to buying local. This is the time to do it- when produce is in season and I can stock up and freeze and can for the winter. I'm not saying I'll be able to stock up a years worth. Little by little. Also looking for reasonably priced beef and chicken (free range, from WA). We may buy some animals from a 4H student this fall at the fair. You know those animals have been humanely treated. I'm excited to do my part for my family's health, the Lord's creation, and to cast my vote with my food dollars!