Untitled Document

Intro	Food	Gardening/Water	Home Energy	Possessions	Shelter/Community	Transportation

	Food

General	Books	Canning/Cooking	Community Supported Agriculture	Farmer's Markets	Grocery Stores	Pick Your Own	Slow Food/ Localvores

“Eating with the fullest pleasure – pleasure, that is, that does not depend on ignorance – is perhaps the profoundest enactment of our connection with the world. In this place we experience and celebrate our independence and our gratitude, for we are living from mystery, from creatures we did not make and powers we cannot comprehend. - Wendell Berry

Food Queries

Where do you see yourself on the continuum below for options of how to shop for food? What changes would you like to make? What small step could you take next month toward your goal? (first seven steps in continuum are from “Great Hunger-Gatherer Continuum” presented by James T. Mulligan, in Simpler Living, Compassionate Life, p. 111-115)

Supermarket shopping (American norm)
Selective supermarket shopping (buying locally at supermarket)
Occasional shopping at specialized retailers (co-ops, natural foods, produce stands)
Regular shopping at both specialized retailers and supermarkets
Buying exclusively at specialized retailers
Farmer’s markets
Community Supported Agriculture
Pick your own
Canning/Freezing
Gardening/Composting

The following queries may be helpful when making food choices:

How far did this food have to travel to reach my mouth? Consider not only from farm to table but all of the in-between steps, i.e. processing, packaging, wholesale warehouse, supermarket.
Was it grown or raised in a way that was gentle on the land? [It takes 17 pounds of grain to produce one pound of edible meat]. On animals? On people?
Who grew this food? Who picked this food? Were those involved with farming this food fairly compensated?

Food Resources, General
Eat Well Guide – Guide to local farms, markets, and restaurants searchable by zipcode: http://eatwellguide.org/ Community Food Security Coalition: http://www.foodsecurity.org/ They seek “to create a system of growing, manufacturing, processing, making available, and selling food that is regionally based and grounded in the principles of justice, democracy, and sustainability.” Renewing the Countryside: www.renewingthecountryside.org They produce a calendar each year featuring farms, markets, CSAs, and restaurants in the DC/VA/MD region Short Video: There is an excellent 15 minute video about the consequences of conventional farming on our health and the environment at www.truecostoffood.org

Food Resources, General

Eat Well Guide – Guide to local farms, markets, and restaurants searchable by zipcode: http://eatwellguide.org/

Community Food Security Coalition: http://www.foodsecurity.org/ They seek “to create a system of growing, manufacturing, processing, making available, and selling food that is regionally based and grounded in the principles of justice, democracy, and sustainability.”

Renewing the Countryside: www.renewingthecountryside.org They produce a calendar each year featuring farms, markets, CSAs, and restaurants in the DC/VA/MD region

Short Video: There is an excellent 15 minute video about the consequences of conventional farming on our health and the environment at www.truecostoffood.org

Books
Coming Home to Eat: The pleasures and politics of local foods by Gary Paul Nabhan (2001) Eat Here: Reclaiming homegrown pleasures in a global supermarket by Brian Halweil (2004). Harvest: : A year in the life of an organic farm, by Nicola Smith and Geoff Hansen (2004) Lyons Press. The Omnivore’s Dilemma: :A natural history of four meal by Michael Pollan (2006) Penguin Press. The author traces the journey of four meals from soil to table. The meals are 1) McDonalds, 2) an organic meal with ingredients purchased from Whole Foods, 3) a chicken dinner with the main course and side dishes coming from a sustainable Virginia farm, and 4) a hunter-gatherer meal with Pollan foraging or shooting all the ingredients himself. From a New York Times book review: “His supermeticulous reporting is the book's strength — you're not likely to get a better explanation of exactly where your food comes from.” More detailed review available here: http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1216-22.htm

Books

Coming Home to Eat: The pleasures and politics of local foods by Gary Paul Nabhan (2001)

Eat Here: Reclaiming homegrown pleasures in a global supermarket by Brian Halweil (2004).

Harvest: : A year in the life of an organic farm, by Nicola Smith and Geoff Hansen (2004) Lyons Press.

The Omnivore’s Dilemma: :A natural history of four meal by Michael Pollan (2006) Penguin Press. The author traces the journey of four meals from soil to table. The meals are 1) McDonalds, 2) an organic meal with ingredients purchased from Whole Foods, 3) a chicken dinner with the main course and side dishes coming from a sustainable Virginia farm, and 4) a hunter-gatherer meal with Pollan foraging or shooting all the ingredients himself. From a New York Times book review: “His supermeticulous reporting is the book's strength — you're not likely to get a better explanation of exactly where your food comes from.” More detailed review available here: http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1216-22.htm

Community Supported Agriculture
Community Supported Agriculture in Virginia and Maryland: http://www.ecostewardsalliance.org/choices/index.php?t=35 Community Supported Agriculture, national directory: http://www.localharvest.org/csa/ : Searchable by zipcode

Cooking and Canning
Energy-efficient meals (including recipes): http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/kgk/2001/0501/kgk050501.html Low-energy cooking: http://www.theyellowhouse.org.uk/themes/cook.html National Center for Home Food Preservation (guide to canning, freezing, drying, etc.): http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/ What’s in season in D.C. area? This is a cool site put out by FRESHFARM Markets that will tell you what’s available at their markets this season. You can click the items and hit “search” and they’ll provide recipes for those ingredients: http://www.freshfarmmarket.org/recipes.php

Cooking and Canning

Energy-efficient meals (including recipes): http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/kgk/2001/0501/kgk050501.html

Low-energy cooking: http://www.theyellowhouse.org.uk/themes/cook.html

National Center for Home Food Preservation (guide to canning, freezing, drying, etc.): http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/

What’s in season in D.C. area? This is a cool site put out by FRESHFARM Markets that will tell you what’s available at their markets this season. You can click the items and hit “search” and they’ll provide recipes for those ingredients: http://www.freshfarmmarket.org/recipes.php

Farmer's Markets
Eat Well Guide – Guide to local farms, markets, and restaurants searchable by zipcode: http://eatwellguide.org/ Farmer’s Market Guide (clickable by state) : http://www.greenpeople.org/farmersmarket.ht Maryland Farmer’s Market Guide: http://www.mda.state.md.us/md_products/farmers_market_dir.php Maryland Organic Farms: http://www.naturalmaryland.com/farmersfishermen/OrganicFarms/organic_farms.htm Turkeys, locally available article from Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/14/AR2006111400281.html?referrer=emailarticl Washington, D.C. Homegrown Food (guide to locally available food): http://www.dcfood.org/

Farmer's Markets

Eat Well Guide – Guide to local farms, markets, and restaurants searchable by zipcode: http://eatwellguide.org/

Farmer’s Market Guide (clickable by state) : http://www.greenpeople.org/farmersmarket.ht

Maryland Farmer’s Market Guide: http://www.mda.state.md.us/md_products/farmers_market_dir.php

Maryland Organic Farms: http://www.naturalmaryland.com/farmersfishermen/OrganicFarms/organic_farms.htm

Turkeys, locally available article from Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/14/AR2006111400281.html?referrer=emailarticl

Washington, D.C. Homegrown Food (guide to locally available food): http://www.dcfood.org/

Grocery Stores, etc.
Glut Food Coop, Mt. Ranier, Maryland, http://www.glut.org/ Worker-managed natural food coop with bulk food. Health Food Stores listed on LocalDC.com: http://www.localdc.com/naturalhealth.htm My Organic Market – Organic grocery chain with stores in Maryland and Virginia, http://www.myorganicmarket.com/ Vegan Resources in D.C., a personal collection with comments from “Squidoo”: http://www.squidoo.com/vegdc Vegetarian Groceries in D.C., good list compiled by “Compassion Over Killing” group: http://www.vegdc.com/groceries.php Vegetarian Restaurants in D.C. compiled by the same group: http://www.vegdc.com/restaurants.php

Grocery Stores, etc.

Glut Food Coop, Mt. Ranier, Maryland, http://www.glut.org/ Worker-managed natural food coop with bulk food.

Health Food Stores listed on LocalDC.com: http://www.localdc.com/naturalhealth.htm

My Organic Market – Organic grocery chain with stores in Maryland and Virginia, http://www.myorganicmarket.com/

Vegan Resources in D.C., a personal collection with comments from “Squidoo”: http://www.squidoo.com/vegdc

Vegetarian Groceries in D.C., good list compiled by “Compassion Over Killing” group: http://www.vegdc.com/groceries.php

Vegetarian Restaurants in D.C. compiled by the same group: http://www.vegdc.com/restaurants.php

Pick-Your-Own
Maryland Pick-Your-Own: http://www.pickyourown.org/MD.htm Maryland Cooperative Extension list, pick your own: http://www.marylandagriculture.info/category_info.cfm?categoryid=50 Virginia Pick-Your-Own: http://www.pickyourown.org/VAnorthern.htm Virginia state guide to local harvests: http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/vagrown/ Washington Area Gleaning Network: gleanit@yahoo.com, 703-370-0155. Usually gleans on Saturdays, to benefit local soup kitchens, etc.

Pick-Your-Own

Maryland Pick-Your-Own: http://www.pickyourown.org/MD.htm

Maryland Cooperative Extension list, pick your own: http://www.marylandagriculture.info/category_info.cfm?categoryid=50

Virginia Pick-Your-Own: http://www.pickyourown.org/VAnorthern.htm

Virginia state guide to local harvests: http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/vagrown/

Washington Area Gleaning Network: gleanit@yahoo.com, 703-370-0155. Usually gleans on Saturdays, to benefit local soup kitchens, etc.

Slow Food/Localvores
100 Mile Diet – Website devoted to those who want to eat food grown within 100 miles of where they dine. Lots of how-to’s: http://www.100milediet.org/ Edible Chesapeake (local Slow Food movement; lots of guides; magazine): http://www.ediblechesapeake.com/ Slow Food D.C. is here: http://www.slowfood.com/about_us/eng/condottaUS.lasso?cod=U00745 Slow Food U.S.A.: http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.html Movement started in Italy to deliberately counter the idea of “fast food” and supermarket homogenization. Celebrates traditional food, encourages eating local and re-enacting the conviviality of eating together. This Localvore site has a thorough description of the guidelines, plus resources in San Francisco: http://www.locavores.com/ What’s in season in D.C. area? This is a cool site put out by FRESHFARM Markets that will tell you what’s available at their markets this season. You can click the items and hit “search” and they’ll provide recipes for those ingredients: http://www.freshfarmmarket.org/recipes.php

Slow Food/Localvores

100 Mile Diet – Website devoted to those who want to eat food grown within 100 miles of where they dine. Lots of how-to’s: http://www.100milediet.org/

Edible Chesapeake (local Slow Food movement; lots of guides; magazine): http://www.ediblechesapeake.com/

Slow Food D.C. is here: http://www.slowfood.com/about_us/eng/condottaUS.lasso?cod=U00745

Slow Food U.S.A.: http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.html Movement started in Italy to deliberately counter the idea of “fast food” and supermarket homogenization. Celebrates traditional food, encourages eating local and re-enacting the conviviality of eating together.

This Localvore site has a thorough description of the guidelines, plus resources in San Francisco: http://www.locavores.com/

What’s in season in D.C. area? This is a cool site put out by FRESHFARM Markets that will tell you what’s available at their markets this season. You can click the items and hit “search” and they’ll provide recipes for those ingredients: http://www.freshfarmmarket.org/recipes.php