Used to think individual action didn't matter for climate... now I'm all in on local food

For years I told myself that cutting my personal carbon footprint was pointless when corporations are the real problem. I'd drive through fast food lines without a second thought and buy strawberries in January from who knows where. Then around 8 months ago I read a study about how the average meal in the US travels about 1,500 miles to get to your plate. That number stuck with me because my middle school students always ask where their cafeteria food comes from. So I started hitting the farmers market in my town every Saturday morning instead of the big grocery store. Now I buy almost all my produce from a guy named Rick who farms about 12 miles outside of town. It's not perfect and I still eat out sometimes, but knowing exactly where my food comes from changed how I see everything else. Has anyone else had a similar shift after looking at food miles specifically?

3 comments

3 Comments

graydavis22d ago

the 1500 mile thing hit me hard too when i first saw it lol, it just makes you realize how much energy and fuel we burn for stuff we could grow in our own backyards. for me it was less about the farmers market though and more about joining a local CSA, like the same farm every week sends a box of whatever is in season. at first i was kinda annoyed because i'd get a ton of kale and no idea what to do with it, but now i actually look forward to the challenge of using everything up before the next box comes. it forces you to eat with the seasons whether you want to or not, and honestly that's made me appreciate food way more than when i could just grab a bag of frozen peas any time. plus it feels less like a guilt trip and more like a cool game of "what can i make with these weird turnips" lmao. corporations definitely are a huge part of the problem but honestly if nobody was buying that 1500 mile stuff they wouldn't ship it, so our choices do add up in some small way.

susan_bell22d ago

Oh man the CSA kale struggle is real! I started doing a "kale trick" where I massage it with olive oil and lemon juice before using it - sounds weird but it makes the raw leaves way less tough and bitter. Also if you blanch and freeze the surplus in ziploc bags it keeps way better than trying to store it fresh. Have you tried making kale chips in the oven with just salt and pepper? That was my go-to when I had way too much and didn't know what else to do with it.

fiona_murphy22d ago

The CSA kale overload is real, I had to look up like four different ways to cook it before I stopped feeling guilty tossing half of it. @graydavis you're right that our choices matter even if it feels small, I started freezing my surplus greens and tossing them into soups all winter long.