One Great Meal

I believe in a lot of things. And I mean a lot.

I believe that everyone has their own way and that actually means something. I believe that a sense of community is very important.  I believe that there is a reason for everything that happens. Absolutely everything.  Big or small, things happen around us for some unknown reason, big or small. I believe that a life without Veronica Mars is one that seems less enjoyable. I believe in Fate. Destiny. I could go on and on, but I won't.

I believe in eating locally whenever possible. And I believe that everyone should. There is so much good food produced locally. It is better for you and even tastes better. What really makes this important to me is supporting the local economy. Our society has turned in to MEGA consumers. Everything produce somewhere else taking 100s of miles to arrive at its destination. Which is usually a store that only cares about the bottom line.

This weekend I went to the Farmer's Market and decided to eat a meal comprised of only food grown and sold locally. This is the result:

Fresh Pork Beer Brats (Boiled in a beer I brewed myself)
Homemade hot dog buns
Fresh grown yukon gold potatoes, green peppers and onion
Mud Hot banana pepper grown in our very own garden
Bad Girl Blonde Ale brewed by me and purchased at a local Homebrew Store

The one exception is the Ketchup(I am thinking of making my own ketchup)

This was one of the most satisfying meals I have had in a long time. The brats were fantastic. The potatoes amazing. The buns so soft and flavorful. All for a total of $11. Now I did not use all of what I paid for. I still have 3 brats, 2 buns, 3/4 of the potatoes, and 1.5 peppers left over. It may be a bit more expensive but the meal was and is better this way. I savored my food. It became a part of who I am instead of something I do.

Everyone should eat locally as much as they can. I understand the difficulties in doing this. When it comes to produce, though, your local farmers market will have better produce and the cost may even be cheaper. For example, the local Meijer is selling green peppers for $1.99 a pound. That results in about 3 peppers. I bought 2 for $1 at the farmers market and it came from 10 miles away where Meijer's travels about 100, sometimes more depending on the season(If you are wondering how I know that, I work there and have asked where they are purchased).

Cheaper and better? How could you do anything else? It also helps support the community you are living in. I love it and will continue to do this as much as I can. So should you.