Coming up next Monday, December 14 – the Gallery of Christmas Cookies – get ready to share your real food cookie recipes! (We won’t be having a Real Food Quote Monday that day.) And Tuesday Twister is tomorrow!
Every Monday, I pull out a meaningful quote from one of the great books or articles I’m reading and share it with you. I invite you to look for inspirational words in what you read and share them each week in the comments.
This week’s quote comes from Barbara Kingsolver’s year-long month by month chronicle of eating locally: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.
“In ’97, when our family gave up meat from CAFOs [confined animal feeding operation], that choice was synonymous with becoming a vegetarian. No real alternatives existed. Now they do. Pasture-based chicken and turkey are available in whole food stores and many mainstream supermarkets. Farmers’ markets are a likely source for free-range eggs, poultry, beef, lamb, and pork. Farmers who raise animals on pasture have to charge more, of course, than factories that cut every corner on animal soundness. Some consumers will feel they have to buy the cheaper product. Others will eat meat less often and pay the higher price. As demand rises, and more farmers can opt out of the industrial system, the cost structure will shift.” (page 228)
This is Barbara Kingsolver’s path and not everyone’s will look the same. Our path was different. We gave up meat because we thought our son was allergic to it (severe excema), but it turns out he was allergic to the ingredients used in processing, and also one animal food in particular – eggs (an allergy which has disappeared since following a Nourishing Traditions diet). We were vegan for several years before reintroducing naturally raised meats. We wanted to eat meat again because we thought some members of the family would feel better, and we chose naturally raised meats because those were most closely aligned with God’s design for our world. Our only avenue for natural meats at that time was a Whole Foods grocery store. Now we are able to make our meat purchases entirely locally and directly from a farm or ranch.
When our meat came from Whole Foods, you can bet we stretched it! The price was almost cost-prohibitive. (Perhaps things have changed already; it has been some years since I’ve shopped there.) Thank goodness for local farmers and ranchers! Purchasing locally and naturally raised meats is usually more expensive than conventional meat, but it is not near as expensive as Whole Foods or other whole foods-type grocery stores. Have you found the same to be true?
I hope the last sentence of Kingsolver’s quote comes true: “As demand rises, and more farmers can opt out of the industrial system, the cost structure will shift.” Do you think it will?
What about you? What’s your story, with regard to eating meat (or not)? How do you make room in your budget for naturally raised meats (or not)?
Note: The book link in this post is an affiliate link to Amazon.com. If you choose to buy the book via my link, I’ll earn a commission. But I don’t care about that too much. The point of this post is for us to share inspirational words. That’s my sincere disclaimer. Thanks for reading.
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We, too, had a baby with severe eczema. For a while I thought beef was a problem for him, since he has a fairly severe milk allergy. Turns out he’s also allergic to corn, which is the true culprit, and the thing that is utterly impossible to avoid — almost all processed foods are totally out (even the “natural” ones). He has made vast improvements over the past two years, but still can’t have milk (I’m hopeful, though, since he seems to be ok with ghee) or corn.
Our journey into whole food cooking began in earnest when we had our fist child, and I wanted to make all of her food from organic ingredients. Since then, our diet has changed many times (though never vegan) as has our shopping. We do as much local as we can, and just purchased our first grass-fed beef quarter, which saves SO MUCH MONEY.
I really loved Kingsolver’s book — but I always couch it with the disclaimer that we can’t all live the way she lives (although, Wardeh, you come close ; ). That’s my main concern when discussing a localvore diet: how can we help improve the eating lives of people for whom that shift would be so vast it would seem insurmountable?
.-= Katy´s last blog post… A completely unsolicited product endorsement (and my first GIVEAWAY!) =-.
That’s a great book, and it changed how I purchase foods in season and local, though not exclusively like she does. (I do buy coconut oil and bananas.) And my “local” has to be a larger zone, since I live in the high desert. Sometimes “local” means produce from California, and I avoid South American produce, if those are my options.
Eating more and more like the gnowfglins way, though, makes grocery shopping easier. I purchase local produce, eggs and grains from Azure Standard, raw milk from a farmer, and beef and pork from a rancher. The meat is definitely better quality and cheaper than Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. I’ve noticed, however, that farm fresh chickens are *not* cheaper than the chain stores, and I do buy chicken from Trader Joe’s.
I’m reading this book right now and loving it! It is truly an eye opener. Prior to this past spring, we bought few local meat products. They were just too expensive. We found a local farmer that we like, however, and made the jump to local meat by purchasing a 1/4 of organic cow. It took a bit of looking to find someone reasonable, however (they are within 300 miles instead of the typically suggested 100 miles). Their prices for beef are very reasonable but, like another poster stated, chicken doesn’t seem to be any less expensive. We are going to try, however, to buy the majority of our meat locally in the coming year.
We are meat eaters. I am able to get really good “real” beef from a local rancher. However, chicken has been another story. It is VERY expensive to get organic chicken here. Does anyone know of a good place in Utah to get organic chicken that you don’t have to take out a second mortage for?
I also am kindof hung up on pork. We pretty much stopped eating pork several years ago. My husband and I both noticed we didn’t feel good after eating pork chops or pork roast. We do have the occassional “natural” bacon and maybe ham at our family Christmas dinner.
I personally completely stopped eating pork several months ago. What are your thoughts on pork? Is it a dirty meat? For that matter, what about shell fish?
thanks,
Tiffany
Both my husband and I have been vegetarians (my husband for health and me, primarily, b/c I’m opposed to animal abuse). I recently became one again then changed course again after being introduced to Sally Fallon Morell’s book and rethinking it. I think I would still be vegetarian if I were not married to someone who craves meat. I’m pretty happy with our arrangement now of buying pasture-fed meat from local farms. Steve seems to like it too, with the exception of the beef-very tough, even the better cuts.
Knowing me, you probably know I didn’t love that book. But the idea behind it was great, and the seasonal menus were inspiring.
I don’t think the cost structure will shift at stores like Whole Foods. I read that same thinking 12 or so years ago when I read Marilu Henner’s book, and went organic. We were vegan for a while also, trying to stay away from bad stuff. We finally realized we would go broke if we continued to eat all organic. Prices have definately not come down in the last 12 years that I have been paying attention. But, like you, we have found ways of keeping costs down without having to shop at the expensive health food stores. Buying a whole cow, having our own eggs, buying grains in bulk, learning to garden, hopefully finding a close dairy source. We try to do what we can, but not make ourselves crazy in the process. We do live in a fallen world afterall.
I loved that book, but it made me want that much more to be able to raise all my own food. It’s just not possible where we live (land is too expensive), and right now with a baby, even having a garden is tough. Still, it inspires me to try and garden more when I am able.
Where I live, locally raised meat is the most expensive choice. Whole Foods sometimes has sales to compete with the factory-farmed stores, and their chicken is often reasonable, but it’s still pricey. We used to buy all of our meat from WF, but our financial circumstances make it hard to do right now, so we have been buying some meat from regular supermarkets, as much as I hate it. There really is a big difference in chicken quality; I bought some Perdue chicken because it was 29 cents a pound, but it is disgusting quality meat, with too much fat and a weird texture.
I would like to buy a quarter cow; there are farms near me where buying a whole/partial animal really is reasonable, but even some of those are pricey, like $6/lb hanging weight, which works out to something more like $8/lb or something for the actual meat! Sure, some of it is steaks, but some is hamburger and whatnot. I’d also like to find somewhere to sell us a whole lamb, since we like lamb meat a lot, and it’s hard to get things like lamb livers.
.-= Rebecca´s last blog post… Menu Plan Monday – Week of 12/7/2009 =-.
I’m really happy to read what you and your families are doing. We all, me included, must remember that we only can do what we can do. God doesn’t ask any more of us than we are able – and nowhere does he say we MUST do this or that. I’m so grateful that He allows us to glorify Him in many and varied ways!
Regarding local food and how much we are able to purchase/find – when we compare ourselves to others, we humans think we fall short! So once again, we need not strive to do what others are doing, but strive to glorify God as best we can – as He has equipped us. My family has a long way to go to reach an “ideal” and we may never get there, but what makes me very, very glad is that we all can encourage each other and share the journey with each other. God bless you all!
Tiffany – I don’t know the answer to your question. I tend to fall back on what God told Peter – not to call unclean what God has cleansed. Then too, was this literal or more figurative as Peter struggled with accepting Gentiles into the fold of the new Christianity?
I know people make the argument that the “unclean” meats are less healthy and regardless, we should avoid them. It seems such a personal choice, and not able to be decided clearly. I can’t fault anyone for choosing either side. Certainly, if you don’t feel well when you eat pork, listening to your body tells you more than anything.
I started reading this book last summer and then never finished it even though I loved it – I have to pick it up again and finish it!
It is hard to remember that pasture-raised meat was not really available in the 90′s. I think it is because I was a vegetarian because I didn’t want to eat meat that was raised in factories.
Around 2001 or so, my body said, “No more tofu!” I reluctantly started eating meat again after a couple of doctors had told me it would help me. I felt so great after my first chicken salad – I couldn’t believe it.
I ended up losing about 20 or so pounds, I think all due to not eating soy anymore and eating meat again. But I did start eating humanely raised and organic when possible, meat.
I didn’t start eating beef or lamb until a few years ago. And shortly after that, I learned about grass-fed beef and lamb and the huge difference between it and corn-fed.
I now get a 20 lb box of 1 lb packs of ground grass-fed beef from a local farmer and split it with a friend of mine. It is about $3.50 a lb which is awesome compared to the Common Market where it is $7.00 a lb. In september he had a special where it ended up being less than $3 a lb.
So it pays to research local farmers and to ask about bulk discounts!
thanks again Wardeh!
Sarah
.-= Sarah Schatz – menus for limited diets´s last blog post… Why a weekly menu planner makes a great holiday gift for someone on a limited diet =-.
My husband and I recently joined a CSA after we graduated college and got married. [for more information on CSA's in your area visit http://www.localharvest.org/csa/
This has held us accountable to two of Barbara Kingsolver's standards, eating locally and seasonally. It has been neat to see our bodies becoming more intune with the earth. It has also been fun to try to incorporate Japanese turnips and mass amounts of swiss chard into our diet.
Our farmer has recently started a meat CSA. We do not have room in our small apartment for 20lbs of meat/month, nor do we consume anywhere close to that amount of meat in a month. However, if you have a meat loving family and a deep freeze this is a great way to save money on organic meats!
We personally buy meat as needed from our CSA farmer, the local farmer's market when in season, and the local organic grocery store. We get our eggs from a neighbor of our CSA farmer [we just saw the "fresh eggs" sign and knocked on their door!] and we also get raw milk from a local dairy farmer.
great book and great work everyone!