Food

Eating locally isn't just a fad diet or a trend. On the contrary, global, mega-farm sourcing for nearly all of our foods is a relatively new practice.  It wasn't long ago that citrus, coffee and avocados were treats to be savored rather than kitchen staples. Those concerned with the environment, survival of small family farms and food freshness are embracing a local diet that supports their values. As we return to the common-sense practice of sourcing food locally whenever possible, it helps to have some tools and tips on hand for navigating the road to locavorism.

Home-packed lunches can be fun, healthy, and green, with very little time or money required. I calculated that my child's lunch, including organic fruit, required less than five minutes on average and $1.00 per day last year - compared to over $2.25 for school lunch. Try these suggestions to green your packed lunches, whether for children, adults, or picnics!

There are so many new things on the farm this year, and I can only talk about a few for this article. I call this year "Reduce my workload please!" I am trying to make time for more play in my farm life.

Board certified Holistic Health Practitioner, macrobiotic nutritional consultant, cooking teacher, and director of Kushi’s Kitchen

Here is a short list of our favorites:

• Brasa, Minneapolis

• Common Roots Café, Minneapolis

• Ecopolitan, Minneapolis: Sara says, "When I really want to indulge, I invite friends for some wine and raw food at Ecopolitan...divine."

Among the signs of progress we've seen in Minnesota in recent years, one of the bright spots is surely the greening of our vibrant restaurant scene. New choices allow us to eat low on the food chain and support responsible restaurants that walk the talk, applying principles that reduce waste, save energy, and support local producers.

Cook vegan at home. This is a pretty easy task with a wide variety of tasty vegan recipes available over the internet such as vegweb.com and the spread of vegan cookbooks, such as Veganomicon, available at most bookstores.

Start with fast and easy vegan foods. This could include bean burritos, spaghetti, salads, veggie burgers, chili, french fries, tofu lasagna and veggie stir fries.

Veganism is a lifestyle which avoids using animals for food, clothing, or other purposes. Vegans try to minimize suffering and cruelty by not purchasing products that are derived from animals. Vegetarians do not eat meat, fish, or poultry. Vegans, in addition to being vegetarian, do not use other animal products or by-products such as eggs, dairy products, honey, leather, fur, silk, wool, cosmetics, and soaps derived from animal products.

In a country where rivers of high fructose corn syrup flow through our food system and the food recalls never seem to stop, something really miraculous is happening. In the shadows of genetically modified corn fields and pre-made frozen peanut butter sandwiches, people are starting to see past the industrial food system that we've grown accustomed to these past 50 years. People are starting to take the American food system into their own hands and become personally invested in where and how their food is produced. People are starting to care about their food.