I’m trying to eat simpler these days and I am trying to live by the creed of “If my great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize it as food, I’m not buying/eating it.” To that end, I like to get my food direct from the source with as few additives as possible. Organic is good. Its not the be all end all but its better than the alternatives most of the time.
If you are ever wondering what is going on in the Union Square Greenmarket, you don’t need to leave your apartment and go there. Instead, you can check out Lucy Wollin’s report, something she has been writing since 1993. I only just learned of it but as its something that our city’s chefs and restaurateurs pay attention to, I’m going to pay attention to it as well.
Via the NYT
One thought on “Lucy's Greenmarket Report”
I’ve worked in the food business (Food Manufacturer sales rep) for over 2 years and the longer I work in the biz (and it is my chosen profession) the more and more I try and stay away from processed foods. I hear way too many stories from my peers in my industry (nothing like “The Jungle” but bothersome none the less), I have seen and read too much about the industry (things like the influence of the farm and food lobbies, and things like the movie “Super Size Me”), and am seeing the outcomes in an obesity epidemic and a general health epidemic caused by the foods we eat everywhere.
Most of the time I try and use the least processed version of foods I can, you said it best when you said “If my great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize it as food, I’m not buying/eating it.” I still buy/eat lots of processed foods, it’s almost impossible not to eat something that hasn’t been handled by the food industry, but I try and stick to the stuff that has been processed the least. In the summer I take it even further, I grow a garden with a selection of fresh produce (Tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, peppers, cukes, eggplant, peas, radishes and fresh herbs) because even most produce that is available for purchase just doesn’t taste as good, as it is most often bread to survive the travel to market. I know in a city the garden isn’t an option, but the Greenmarkets can be the next best thing, especially if you are dealing with the ones who grow the food.
Luckily I have the knowledge, both of what I should eat and the ability to prepare meals from “scratch”, a skill that has been largely lost through the past couple generations; and I also have the means to eat that way, as it’s often the worst foods that are not just the easiest but often the cheapest.