Free Yourself From The Package - Regional Considerations

I had intended to discuss regional considerations this week and it's a good thing as someone brought to my attention that not everyone can get an heirloom tomato in March. Trust me, it's not lost on me that I am extremely fortunate to be a SoCal native that went to college in the Southeastern US before hightailing it back to L.A. I've never really had to experience a lack of fresh produce in my life. I'm very thankful for that. In fact - I make a point every day to take note and revel in simple pleasures like fresh produce, sitting on a surfboard in the winter, and surprise 80 degree days in January among others. I'm seriously delighted to stop at the farm stand and grab a big bunch of beets with big, leafy green tops.

That said, there are many takes on the package. I have said before that I prefer to eat actual food that did not come in a bag, box, or package. I am a fan of seeing each ingredient in my meals so when I am at home this is how my meals are prepared.

Others worry about their carbon footprint if they're in the Midwest and use produce from California or Florida. One blog I follow conveniently addressed this yesterday. Lots of packaging somehow ends up in the ocean. As a surfer, I really appreciate when people don't use packaging or plastics (I don't use them). In addition, there are many articles about the carbon impact that beef makes whether you buy it from a local farm or not (no, I haven't had beef since I was a very young child).

To round all of this babble up: you need to weigh the options of what you eat and its source. I'm not going to make those choices for you. There are many considerations with pollution, GMOs, regional issues, etc. I'm simply going to share my personal journey without making any judgments on what is right for someone else.

One thing I do know, it doesn't matter where you live - you can give up adding sugar and salt to your food. Like I mentioned on Tuesday, don't do it all at once and your success rate is much higher.

Here's another little recipe for salsa:

Obliterate in the food processor (I got mine from a freecycling group):
2 roma tomatoes (rinsed)
1 clove fresh garlic (rinsed)
1 Anaheim pepper (rinse and cut off the stem)
2 large tomatillos (remove covers and rinse)
1 green onion (rinse and cut roots and top)

Use as salsa, on rice, on top of seafood, or wherever you want some flavor.