The Hunter - Gatherer Continuum

We're having a few folks over for dinner on Saturday night and all week I've been trying to put together the menu.  Much of the menu will be dictated by what we've got growing in the garden.  We'll probably start with individual Tom Thumb lettuces with a lemon viniagrette.  Garlic scapes (left) will probably figure in there somewhere and, of course, greens. 

But as we think about filling in the rest of the menu I know that I will have to go shopping.  I love going food shopping and have grown used to traveling to several different places to gather everything I need.  This weekend I'll hit the Hamilton Farmers' Market and will also pick some things up from the co-op.  And inevitably, I'll find myself at Wegman's to get items I may not find at the other places. 

The question of where we do our food shopping is an important one.  Thinking carefully about where we spend money on food is a large part of eating locally and sustainably.  I know that when I buy produce from Wegman's, for example, that the vegetables may come from anywhere in the world.  Moreover, the farmer who grew the food will have to split any profits with Wegmans, the distributor, the marketer, and the packaging company.  There won't be much left for the farmer.

There is a hunter-gatherer continuum that is helpful to illustrate our place of purchase. 

Supermarket only---Selective Supermarket (shopping organic at the conventional market)--Specialized markets (co-op)--Shopping selectively at supermarket and specialized market--Exclusive shopping at Specialized Market--Farmer' Market--CSA--Grow Your Own

Most of the time I'm at the Combination point--shopping selectively at Wegmans and the co-op.  When I subscribed to a share of a CSA I did that, but I always shopped farmers' markets and grew a little something too.  Wherever we find ourselves on the Continuum the aim is to get as close to the gatherer end of the spectrum as possible. 

For a humorous take on the supermarket wars, check out this flash movie from the Organic Trade Association and Free Range Graphics.  Grocery Store Wars

Comments

[jen]

The hunterer-gatherer analogy is a good one ... I like it! My place of purhcase spectrum is about the same as yours. I pretty much go to a specific place for bread, a specific place for meat (if I don't purchase @ the Farmer's Market), the Farmer's Market, and then the coop for everything else.

I buy all my paper products, ziplocs, etc from conventional stores but I can't remember the last time I bought food from a traditional supermarket while I have been at home (away from home is at a different story sometimes)

By the way - let me know what you end up doing with the scapes. I bought some last week and ended up using them as a bed for roasted chicken. Pretty good, but probably not the best use.

[Jennifer]

Hi Jen,

Thanks for your comments! When I was in the Bay Area I shopped less at conventional supermarkets too--except when I had to get the requisite Fiddle Faddle for my husband (but today he admitted that he ate much more healthfully in Cali because it is easier.)

One of the things we're learning now that we are on the East Coast is that we will have to really practice freezing and canning to make our harvest last through the winter. That way we won't rely on shipped in vegetables for our food in the colder months. We are also buying a large freezer to keep the meats we buy at the markets.

I like your idea for the scapes and will give that a try. What I've done is just chopped them up and use them like regular garlic. So for Saturday's dinner, I simply added them to the sauteed kale and spinach--it was a nice subtle flavor. I know some folks who will take scapes along with garlic greens and make a fantastic pesto--I've not done it myself but the one's I've had were delicious.

[prussell]

Have you checked out Columbus Meats & Cheeses...right next to the bakery on Pearl Street? Great place!!!!!