Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Earth Day eating for Fort Worth and beyond

By Josie Singleton of Eat This Fort Worth

Today is Earth Day and there are things we can do with our eating habits that can leave less of an impact on the Earth.

Become a Locavore

Try and get all your produce needs from local sources. You cut the carbon footprint because food has not been trucked in or flown in thousands of miles to get to you. Plus local food just tastes better and fresher. Farmer’s markets are Fort Worth’s best sources for locally grown food. The Cowtown Farmer’s Market only sells food that is grown, raised, or produces within a 150 mile radius. The market is open every Saturday from 8AM - Noon, get there early for the best selection. They are located in west Fort Worth at the junction of 183, 377, and 80W.

Eat Sustainable Foods

The issue of sustainable foods is a big one and one that I’m still educating myself on. In terms of sustainable agriculture Fort Worth has a valuable resource with EatGreenDFW.com. EatGreenDFW provides sources for grass fed beef, free range - grass fed chickens and lamb. They also provide teas, jellies, herbs and free trade coffee.

Plant a Garden

You can’t get any more local and fresh than your backyard. A garden doesn’t have to take up much room and is a great activity for your whole family to become involved in. Start small if you don’t have a green thumb, a tomato plant and some herbs will come in handy during the summer months. Our family is using the square foot gardening method, and our garden doesn’t take up much space at all.

Eat Less Meat

If you can’t commit to being a full time vegetarian, try and do at least one meatless meal a week. You’re a Google search away from many resources that will help you find vegetarian meals that are delicious, good for you, and good for the Earth as well. In many cases vegetarian meals are also cheaper because you are using whole foods which generally cost less than processed foods.

The Environmental Defense Fund estimates that, “If every American skipped one meal of chicken per week and substituted vegetables and grains … the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than half a million cars off of U.S. roads. … If every American had one meat-free meal per week, it would be the same as taking more than 5 million cars off our roads. Having one meat-free day per week would be the same as taking 8 million cars off American roads.”

If you want an introduction to what incredibly tasty vegan food tastes like go visit Spiral Diner.

More Resources

Here are some books that have helped me learn more about sustainability and cooking yummy vegetarian meals:

In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto - Michael Pollan

How To Cook Everything Vegetarian - Mark Bittman

Pegasus News content partner - Eat This Fort Worth

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