We went peach-picking a couple of weeks ago and somehow managed to pick more peaches than I have ever seen in my life. The whole experience awakened something primal in me and I feel this instinctual rush to consume as many peaches as I can before the season is over, and it turns cold, and our fruit choices are reduced to whatever shiny colorful foods make their way across the country, or even farther, to taunt me at my local supermarket.
I don't know if it's just the general trend in our food-obsessed culture or if it is something particular to Philly, but I have never had so many options for eating almost entirely locally. This means that the bulk of our diet is made up of foods that were grown nearby. This is not too difficult a feat when you have a share in a CSA farm that delivers produce right to your neighborhood; or when you can't walk more than a few blocks without coming across a farmer's market any day of the week. And of course, there is Reading Terminal with homemade sauerkraut, homemade soap and everything in between.
We do miss our own backyard garden and the experience of growing our food, but this experience has helped to make us more conscious consumers; a completely invaluable lesson. We talk a lot about where our food comes from, how far it had to travel, how was it grown, and if it comes in a package, what the heck else is in there. Sol is very much into reading labels these days.
"This says 'Natural' but one of the main ingredients is high fructose corn syrup." My favorite was when he went off on a rant in the cereal aisle at Whole Foods. "They think if they put 'Organic' on the front of the box you'll think it's healthy and buy it, but look at all the sugar in here. That can't be healthy. They are trying to trick you!" The looks I get sometimes from people.
