Ever since our last visit to Ten Apple Farm, Josh and I have opened our eyes to the world of organic food. We have become intrigued by the buy local and back to the land movements and have tried to buy as many free range products as possible. However, we do not know enough about it. We do, though, know that we want to know more.
So far we have committed to switching from some processed food to all natural products. Most notably, I have jumped on the crushed peanut peanut butter train. We have also started shopping at Whole Foods more (oh yeah, we have embraced our yuppiness) and exclusively buy our produce at the local farmers market. When we have the choice to eat something organic, we try to. But both Josh and I agree that it is not enough. Luckily, we have people we can talk to.
Our cousins who live on Ten Apple Farm have inspired us. Seeing what they do on their farm is amazing. We love visiting their family, playing with the kids, and getting a small insight into their lives. The commitment to the lifestyle they have chosen is fascinating. We have so much to learn from them.
On this last visit we learned about canning. It was amazing to see what our cousins have been able to make, preserve and can. They made their own pickles, apple sauce, ketchup, and so many more delicious products. I was blown away. And nothing tops their cheese making. It truly is unbelievable...and yummy! To me, the coolest thing they do is open up their farm to people who are interested in everything from goat farming to raising poultry, to gardening, to cheese making, to tending to an orchard. They are living according to their values and sharing those values with all who want to see, inspiring many along the way. We are just lucky to have a front row seat.
One of our favorite things to do is to just listen to our cousins and ask them many questions. Hearing about their latest recipe, the newest farm project they are tackling, and the way their animals are interacting is always interesting. It is also educational. After talking with them, we have completely stopped buying regular eggs at the grocery store. We only buy organic eggs from free range chickens. Not only do they taste a million times better than the eggs we were buying, but they are safer and produced in a more humane way.
We know that buying organic products is only a tiny step towards a more organic lifestyle. We also know that there is a lot more we could do. Currently, we are trying to find a balance between what we do and what we want to do in the future. We also need to figure out how to incorporate these new food values into both our city lives and our choice to keep kosher. But it is the small steps that we take and the example of our cousins that will help us achieve our goals. And who knows, maybe some day we will even have a full garden and maybe a chicken or two...though I don't think that will go over well in our current house :)
No comments:
Post a Comment