Going Green

Hey farmer farmer
Put away that DDT now
Give me spots on my apples
But leave me the birds and the bees
Please!
~Joni Mitchell

It seems that everything these days is going green, reaching towards sustainability in any possible way. This is no different in the food sphere. From the source to the disposal, food has gone green, and not just the veggies! (Get it?!)

Perhaps beginning with Rachel Carson, at least in the US, but maybe even earlier abroad, science has been raising awareness of the problems of how we produce our food. All those pesticides and herbicides that were supposed to prevent competition between our crops and those pesky weeds and pests are slowly fading into a thing of the past. All that DDT… turns out not so good for you. Now farmers and even family gardeners are turning to new methods of natural and environmentally friendly pest control. In one of my high school Environmental Science classes, we learned that one of these techniques is to use natural predators of plants and other pests. For example, some farmers use geese and other such duck-like creatures to prey on the insects that destroy their crops. Another plus? The waste (manure) fertilizes the ground… naturally.

At home, my family unfortunately lacks a gaggle of geese which will cooperate and actually eat the pests, rather than just … defecating… all over the place. Instead, my mom has come up with other alternatives, natural alternatives to pesticides. Apparently many pests dislike hot pepper, so she sprinkles hot pepper flakes throughout the vegetable garden. And to keep away the larger pests, deer in particular, we usually brush the dog near the garden. The scent of the dog’s hair keeps animals away who depend on scent to determine territory. I know there are many other methods, as I am sure my parents will remind me; and even though my high school environmental science teacher may be disappointed in my short list, I must carry on.

Here’s another way to go green with your food: BUY LOCAL. As hippie-esque and bumper sticker-y as this cliché is, it is true. One of the simplest ways to save the environment is to buy from local farms, produce stands, or at least pick the produce that is labeled with a local origin at the grocery store. When you get your resources from nearby you can count on the fact that gas emissions will be low- no driving or flying across country necessary! Of course, if you can, a home grown garden is another way to prevent those gas emissions, because when you want a green pepper or some fresh basil all you have to do is take a pair of scissors out to your backyard.

In my family, we have a belief that leftovers show love. We would never serve leftovers to a guest. No, they are only for family. But leftovers also show a love for the environment. You know how it goes, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! Don’t throw away those scraps, the bottom of the mashed potato pot, the stale bread, or the lemon wedge. Reheat that steak and serve it with eggs for breakfast, make potato pancakes, croutons or bread pudding with the stale bread, and flush the lemon down the disposal (it’ll make the kitchen smell citrus-y fresh!). And if you really dislike the idea of leftovers, for whatever reason, cook less, fix smaller portions, make your kids eat those veggies instead of giving them the option to pass and let them go to waste (there are starving kids in New Orleans, you know).

My final recommendation: COMPOST! It is so easy, and I bet you didn’t even know all of the things you can compost. If you want a good overview of composting in general, what to expect, how to, what you need, what you should, could and definitely should not put into that pile, visit Garden Web.

While you're at it, check out my friend's related blog, and look through the GREEN lenses!