Suburban Homesteading

So I've decided my new life mission is to localize, localize, localize. Not sure how this will all pan out with going back to work and having less time, but it's important to me so I'm going to make it work. Let me step back and say that I was accused of being elitist because I think people should buy local/sustainably grown foods, unless they are truly impoverished. Hey, that's just my point of view, given the intangible costs to us all that come from the global warming (fuel consumed for growing conventional foods, fuel consumed from shipping out-of-season foods to our shelves year-long, etc), the lack of crop diversification, the pesticides and other chemicals, etc etc etc. If people think they cant afford food now, wait a few years into climate change, crop failures (due to homoginization of crops that leads to failures, etc). I understand that folks make choices- and we're not talking about truly impoverished people who have to choose between food and shelter, but people who make reasonable middle-class choices- maybe to work less and spend more time with kids, or to take an enjoyable but lower paying job, or to have cable tv or internet or other "luxuries"- but these same people then complain that they cannot afford organic/local foods. I think this comes from the way we generally think of food in this country- it is a commodity, fungible with any other food of the same type, and thus looking for the cheapest bottom line seems to make sense. I just wish more people understood the health and environmental issues that factor into "cost."

Additionally there are ways to make local foods cheaper for you. For example, one family who is having a hard time making ends meet has made the choice to have one adult in the couple stay home to save on daycare costs, and not to take an evening or weekend part time job. Although this voluntarily reduces their income, it also opens opportunities to save money and still eat local/sustainably. For example, there is a CSA in our area that allows you to get a week's worth of fresh produce at no cost, save 4 hours of labor at the farm (not necessarily hard labor either- bookkeeping and other office jobs count). Or that partner could get a part-time job for a few hours a week at a local food coop or organic food store, getting discounts, extra cash for quality food, and adult time out of the house. Or the time could be spent gardening (granted, that only works if you have a place to grow food). Am I privileged because I make enough money to buy local/sustainable without sacrificing other things in my life? I suppose so, but I work crazy hard to be able to do that. Would I love to stay home and care for my kids? Sure! But I don't make that choice because other things - stability and security for my family, good healthy food on the table, access to the world outside our little city- are also important to my family. That's my choice. It's all about choices, so I'm not sure that most middle class or lower middle class folks who say they can't afford sustainable local produce actually mean they don't want to make the choices necessary to do so, whether that means working more (which I understand why many people are loathe to do this), or putting more elbow grease into their food (including preserving and putting away local food while in season), or buying what is local and seasonal rather than what fits your recipe, or other creative choices (like the CSA work share, giving up internet, etc). Healthy, sustainable food really should be that important!

That said, rather than continuing in this negative space, I want to use this blog to document my attempts at what I'll call "suburban homesteading." To me, this means putting my own efforts into saving and even producing foods and products that we use. Why?

• To allow us to consume a significant amount of local food, even when it is not in season. By buying more local food, to know better where our food comes from, how it is grown and treated, and who makes it.
  
• To allow us to reduce the amount of unnecessary preservatives and additives in our food. To allow my kids to learn that producing and obtaining food is a process that goes beyond driving to the store.
  
• To save energy by buying fewer products that require packaging, or that are shipped over long distances.
  
• To save money by buying locally in season when things are plentiful and cheap, and saving them for later
• To have healthier foods with fewer pesticides and preservatives, and that have more fresh nutrients
• To be gentler on the environment by limiting our own use of foods that are hard on the environment in so many ways
  
• To honor and resurrect (and teach the kids) about "old-fashioned," simpler methods of food creation and preservation- methods that require time, patience, and attention, rather than just a stroll down the aisle with a squeaky cart. And some that might even be fun or good family activities!

It's going to be a journey with many missteps, I'm sure. And I'm looking forward to it.