An ode to organic and my mom...

42/100

I get my eggs from a family across the street. The yolks are deep orange. The chickens run around their yard. I don't even know if they have a coop. Yesterday? When I picked up my eggs, one of the shells was blue. The rest were a variety of crazy sizes and shades of brown shells with chicken dirt on them and hay. Honestly? If you made me an egg from some farm factory horror farm where chickens have their beaks cut and their legs grow into the wire mesh cages, I can't say I would know. Taste wise? These organic eggs taste similar to factory ones. You can tell the difference in the yolks because the yolks are rich and a bit larger than store bought eggs. Factory chickens are force-fed corn, grain and feed full of other dead chickens. I'm not even exaggerating. However, those pristine white eggs fry up like the organic ones I pick up from next door. Except the factory eggs cost about $1.85 a dozen. The  organic ones  across the street? Cost me $4. And I will pay it. Because those chickens? Roam around happily clucking and being chickens. 

Somewhere in the 1950s our country decided tv dinners and drive thru restaurants were awesome! Cool! The food of the future. A lot of people have made movies about it like "Food, Inc", and written books like "the Omnivore's Dilemma" so I'll spare you a full on lecture. All I know is that whenever I am able,  I choose organic if I can afford it. It's criminal that food raised organically is more expensive than factory food, but then, we pay for that cheaper food in so many ways... but I'm really trying not to lecture in this blog. I'm sharing my own issues with organic food. Sometimes I can't justify the expense of organic, but when I can? I do.

And while I might not be able to tell the difference between the organic egg and the factory egg all scrambled up, and while I eat factory eggs and other food when I go out to breakfast or dinner, there is something to be said about knowing where my food comes from. I *like* knowing who is feeding the animals I am choosing to eat, how the animals I am choosing to eat are treated and slaughtered. I try not to eat or buy from a factory system because they have taken away 'seasons' for fruits and vegetables, they've created 'monster' chickens with breasts so big the chickens can't walk because their breasts grow so rapidly they never learn to balance on their tiny legs, they've genetically modified corn to the point where it is almost impossible to get unaltered corn and because every dollar I give them is support for a non-sustainable way of living that will tear apart our culture.The worst part about it, is that they control the media to the point where they even control many of the organic labelled products and use guilt to 'convince' me that it is 'wise' to spend more on organic food that isn't organic! It's hard navigating shopping sometimes. It's why I love farmer's markets. Sadly, those aren't as common once October hits...

I don't know what it is going to take to find a more sustainable way of living. To knock us out of our plastic covered, boneless, hermetically sealed packages of food that somewhat resemble meat. In most cases? It is meat from cows from all over the world. Look on your package. If you buy ground beef? There is a good chance if you aren't buying from someone like "Laura's Lean Ground Beef" that beef is from Australia, Mexico, South America and *maybe* the US. I guess I can only start with myself.

Each day and each choice I make about what I am eating gives me the opportunity to live a more sustainable life. No, I can't always eat organically. But I can choose, when possible, restaurants that serve organic meat. I can also choose to eat less meat and pay more for organic meat when I do buy it. I can also, next year, start a garden. And who knows... maybe after the winter? I'll get my own chickens and let them wander around my yard... 

My mother used to have a huge garden. She'd grow all kinds of fruits and vegetables and can them or freeze them. We'd enjoy the benefits all winter long. I sit here tonight admiring my mom in so many ways. And tonight? I miss her just a little. Because I have to learn all these things on my own and I can't call her and ask her how. Luckily, I have her notes and her cookbooks. Now... if I just had her green thumb.

Peace,

MaryKate