That's Fit

We planted our first vegetable garden this past spring and enjoyed it so much that we just spent the weekend doubling its size for next year. With a very small financial investment and a little bit of physical labor, we've been able to contribute fresh, healthy, organic foods to our menu and teach our kids some lessons about food production as well.

Rising food costs, food safety concerns, and an increased awareness about environmental issues have lead to an increase in backyard gardening. And some food activists are hoping to encourage that trend by putting an organic garden on one of the most well-known lawns in Amercia ... The White House.

When OnDayOne.org asked citizens to share their ideas for a better world, Eat the View shot quickly to the top. Eat the View is a program that advocates the placement of edible landscapes in high visibility places. You don't get much more visible than the White House! Activists hope that by promoting these kinds of gardens, backyard gardeners will again be encouraged to pull out their seeds and hoes. The idea is, if people start growing more of their own food, there will be less pollution created by food miles, pesticides, and waste.

So will the next President grow a garden at the White House? Time will tell. Sustainable practices aren't a new idea at the Presidential home; in 1917, President Wilson replaced power lawn mowers with a herd of sheep.

In many parts of the country, my own included, growing season is in full swing. That means you may be too late to take part in a CSA this year. But if you get a chance to take part in one, this year or next, I highly recommend it.

This was the first year that we joined a CSA -- short for community supported agriculture. We did it for a lot of reasons, but mostly because of concern over food safety issues. What we have discovered, however, is that it's completely changed our eating habits for the better.

Each week, we get a crate full of fresh grown goodies. Sometimes, I have to use Google to identify something or learn how to cook it. But just having that food in my fridge forces me to be creative and either search for or come up with new, healthy dishes. We're eating far fewer processed foods, less salt, less fat, and have all but cut our meat consumption. Our former favorite dish? Homemade pizza with extra cheese. Our current favorite dish? Sauteed kale with garlic scapes and onion, served over brown rice. I'm totally not kidding.

Marcie at Feeding Blackmail recently wrote about her family picking seasonal strawberries. Joanne at Eat Local Challenge urges you to help the honeybees by signing up to help with The Great Sunflower Project. If you're looking for some fabulous recipes and good looking food, check out Eat Locally, Write Globally. And finally, Epicurious has a very helpful tool, a peak-season map that can help you find out what's in season where you live.

Are you trying to live a greener lifestyle? Looking at your diet is a good place to start. Pesticides, food miles, and factory farms are three important issues when we talk about the environment, as are artificial additives, food diversity, and vegetarianism.

The Daily Green has an excellent 30-day guide to greening up your diet. For instance, you could eat one meal a week that comes 100% from local sources. You could buy organic fruits and vegetables, instead of the conventionally grown versions. You could shop at a farmer's market or CSA, find a source of compassionately grown meat, or even make meatless meals twice a week. Finally, you can read books on the subject like Michael Pollen's In Defense of Food and Alice Water's The Art of Simple Food.

Check out the rest of their suggestions and start eating a greener diet today.