Eating with a conscience
01 December 2006 12:17
Luisa Cheshire
In A bid to save the planet, my husband and I have tried to eat seasonally. Our efforts lasted precisely one week, after which neither of us could face another meal where cabbage played a principal role, and the only alternative was celeriac – which, frankly, terrified us.
So what are UK-dwellers (I should have mentioned we live in England) with a conscience to cook during the long, dark winter months? How can not-terribly-imaginative individuals eat varied fresh produce without racking up air miles each time they shop that contribute to the destruction of our natural world?
The answer, I’ve decided, is simple. Move. Spend November to March anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere or Latin America (cycle there, obviously), and feast on a vast array of fruits and vegetables morning, noon and night in the happy knowledge that you’re doing your bit. Take Chile, for example, with its cherries and peaches (see Americafruit Magazine p12-17); South Africa and its grapes (p18-20); Peru with its luscious mangoes; and Guatemala with its greenhouse veg (see p34-37). These are just a fraction of the commodities harvested in these countries at a time when Britain’s fields lie frosty and fallow.
And if you can’t relocate? Then you have to weigh up the odds. Contribute to the global obesity epidemic by living on potatoes in their various forms over an entire winter, or buy imported produce and watch the ice caps melt.
While getting fat puts an enormous strain on the economic health of a country, buying fruit from Peru or other exotic climes can actually do some good. For a start, as you all know, a great deal of imported produce is shipped by sea – not air. And what is more, it can generate wealth both at source and final destination (read p21-25) – not to mention help keep Northern Hemisphere populations fighting fit and disease free, all of which puts us in a stronger position to protect the planet.
This festive season, therefore, I’m going to substitute mince pies for mangoes (well, maybe I’ll allow myself a few) and plant the Christmas tree in the garden for good measure. My New Year’s resolution is to continue to avoid using the car and support fresh produce grower-shippers with my wallet wherever they might be.
Wishing you health and happiness in 2007.
In A bid to save the planet, my husband and I have tried to eat seasonally. Our efforts lasted precisely one week, after which neither of us could face another meal where cabbage played a principal role, and the only alternative was celeriac – which, frankly, terrified us.
So what are UK-dwellers (I should have mentioned we live in England) with a conscience to cook during the long, dark winter months? How can not-terribly-imaginative individuals eat varied fresh produce without racking up air miles each time they shop that contribute to the destruction of our natural world?
The answer, I’ve decided, is simple. Move. Spend November to March anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere or Latin America (cycle there, obviously), and feast on a vast array of fruits and vegetables morning, noon and night in the happy knowledge that you’re doing your bit. Take Chile, for example, with its cherries and peaches (see Americafruit Magazine p12-17); South Africa and its grapes (p18-20); Peru with its luscious mangoes; and Guatemala with its greenhouse veg (see p34-37). These are just a fraction of the commodities harvested in these countries at a time when Britain’s fields lie frosty and fallow.
And if you can’t relocate? Then you have to weigh up the odds. Contribute to the global obesity epidemic by living on potatoes in their various forms over an entire winter, or buy imported produce and watch the ice caps melt.
While getting fat puts an enormous strain on the economic health of a country, buying fruit from Peru or other exotic climes can actually do some good. For a start, as you all know, a great deal of imported produce is shipped by sea – not air. And what is more, it can generate wealth both at source and final destination (read p21-25) – not to mention help keep Northern Hemisphere populations fighting fit and disease free, all of which puts us in a stronger position to protect the planet.
This festive season, therefore, I’m going to substitute mince pies for mangoes (well, maybe I’ll allow myself a few) and plant the Christmas tree in the garden for good measure. My New Year’s resolution is to continue to avoid using the car and support fresh produce grower-shippers with my wallet wherever they might be.
Wishing you health and happiness in 2007.
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