Since moving to California, my husband and I joke with each other about me becoming a true hippie. He has even stated that California looks good on me. I absolutely love California and I truly hope the Navy allows us to stay here for my husband's career.
I love the season's we have here: summer and rainy. If I really want to see snow, I can drive for 90 minutes to Julian, CA and see snow. If I want to go to the beach, I drive about 20 minutes. For those people out there saying, "I couldn't live without real seasons," you can keep them. I have lived in Utah, Missouri and Virginia. I have also been in North Dakota during "summer" and "fall" (both had snow, so I'm not sure what to really call it).
Due to the "lack of" seasons in CA, I get fresh produce year round! Stick that in your "I love having different seasons" pipe. I get oranges, strawberries and avocados year round, without having to take out loans! Oh, and they're fresh compared to yours!
Now that I am a vegetarian, I love the fresh produce. My kids eat more vegetables than I ever did as a child. I don't think I even knew what kale was until I moved to CA.
You ask, "How are you going full-fledged hippie? Sounds, like you're already there." Ha ha, just wait.
Recently pesticides and GMOs (genetically modified organism) have been in the news with increasing frequency. Several European countries have banned a few pesticides, and they make companies label their foods if they contain GMOs. With our love of corporations and low prices, I don't see the US advancing in this area for awhile. Hell, the FDA allows a flame retardant as a sports drink additive (evidently it allows the beverage to be better emulsified), only because they haven't done enough research on the harmful effects on people. Um...it's flame retardant, how can that be good for anything involved in the digestive process?
Last night, I actually sat up thinking about how I could start buying from the hundreds of farms I drive by. Where does their food go? Why am I buying oranges from Peru, when there is an orchard 20 miles from my house? Why am I buying lettuce from Mexico, when I know there were tons of farms between here and Monterey, CA?
Price is the answer. When you pay someone a few cents a day to harvest produce, it's still pretty cheap by the time they drive or fly it to the US. The problem is, because they have to fly or drive the goods, the produce has to be picked before it's actually ready. You can't argue on the taste. Pick any tomato out of your garden and compare to ANY tomato in a store and tell me which tastes better! (Oh yeah....it's probably still winter where you are. My tomato plant is 5 feet tall right now.)
The other thought that comes to mind is, what are they using on their fields? In the US we have somewhat strict regulations on chemicals we can use, not the best, but decent. But wait, I'm not buying my produce from the US, remember? Since I'm a vegetarian, I'm now eating more fruit and vegetables than I did before. What if the chemicals used on the plants have an accumulative effect and I'll be really screwed in 20 years? What exactly am I eating, or feeding my kids?
I've looked into buying organic, but it's so expensive in the stores! However, now I'm looking into the possibility of getting a box of fruit and veggies each week from local farms (CSA). Researching the prices, I found that depending on the size box I order, I will paying about the same or a little less on organic, fresh fruit and veggies than I get from buying them in the store. So what is the downside of this?
These are seasonal fruit and veggies, picked by the growers, so I can't pick and choose my produce. (Some places will allow you to exchange or add-on stuff for an extra charge). Also, in some other places the drive time may effect this choice, however in sunny San Diego, I've got several choices within 10 minutes of my house. It's a 20 minute drive to the military base grocery store or a 10 minute drive to Sprouts, so I don't have to calculate mileage into my costs.
The upside: this will force us to try new and different produce, that we normally just stare at with wonderment in the store. The kids will get to experience the fruit they love in the farmer's markets. Also, some places will allow you to tour and even volunteer on the farm. I can hear a few of my relatives that grew up on a farm, saying, "Seriously? You want to tour or volunteer on a farm?"
Yes, I do. I have an agricultural degree from Mizzou, so I learned the importance of responsible farming. It's not always done, but at least on the CSA farms they are using innovative ways to control pests and fertilize their crops. My kids should learn this and get their hands dirty in the garden....a huge ass "garden."
More importantly, I want my kids to grow up questioning what they are buying. One day they will work hard for their money and they need to question: is what they're buying safe to wear? Safe to eat? Are the workers getting paid decent wages and are their working conditions safe? (At least in the US we have child labor laws).
No one should settle for something because it's cheap. The more people question ingredients and methods, the better our world will be....for everyone. If you refuse to buy something that uses child labor or uses flame retardant as an "digestible" ingredient, you are sending a message to the company that you won't allow this. It's a small message, however if more and more people stop buying a product, things will change.
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