The Economy of Sustainable Food, Part 2

Continued from The Economy of Sustainable Food Part 1.

At the CSA, I pay $12 / week and average about 4.5lbs of produce making my pound for pound cost around $2.75. This mostly meets my needs for an entire week. I bring my own bags and there is, obviously, no packaging involved. My farmer picks the produce fresh the day before our pickup. Items last about 2 weeks in my refrigerator. I'm extremely conscientious about waste, so I do my best to use up, process or store things I can't get to right away. All trimmings or forgottens go into the compost to feed my garden where I grow mostly tomatoes and herbs.

As was stated, not everybody has opportunity to join a CSA or use a Farmer's Market, so here is my advice for those shopping in traditional grocery stores:

1. Purchase in-season produce. This will always give you pound for pound more for your dollar and often is not shipped extra-long distances. Better to buy organic because it is a at least a vote towards a more-sustainable practice.


2. Avoid the plastic as often as possible. That plastic goes straight into the landfill, or worse, in rivers, lakes and our oceans which have enough trouble right now. Also, packaged produce may contain more than you need, as for me, in the case of mushrooms.


3. Keep a reasonably empty refrigerator. This will tell you what you really need to purchase.


4. Try not to throw vegetable trimmings into the landfill. See if you can put it in with your garden waste if you don't have a compost bin at home. Better still, see if any of your neighbors have chickens (urban chicken farming is very chic right now).  Or save your trimmings in the freezer to make vegetable stock for use in the Fall (soup season).


5. Recommend a local farmer. Some grocers offer a "local produce" section. See if your grocer will invite some of the local farmers to bring close-to-home produce.

Major grocery outlets can offer a number of very sustainable options and when we shop with a voting dollar in hand, they will respond. I buy a lot of staple items from the grocery like dry beans, flour, sugar, and whole grains. This is not unreasonable as these items naturally store well and have little packaging. And sometimes the grocery has things my CSA or Farmer's Market doesn't carry, like bananas and oranges. Used wisely, the grocer can offer both convenience and sustainability.

If you agree that the packaging is too much, write the store manager to ask them to provide less packaging for items that don't need it like lettuce and herbs. Save the plastic for things like yogurt and milk - these are reasonable uses for the technology we have today. Bring your own bags, even if they are reused plastic! The managers of grocery stores won't know what you want until you tell them. Sustainable food is within our grasp. We just have to reach for it.

Photo credit: tonopahrob.com