So. I have a CSA share this summer, again. And this year, I'm hoping to use the bounty even more... so I am preparing now.
I bought a dehydrator. And am going to buy a juicer. The pulp from the juicer, (which contains all the fiber) is going to go into making crackers and fruit leather and such.
I also bought some little ceramic berry baskets from Anthropologie to keep the produce in...
I need to figure out some kind of bag to put the PYO produce in, some kind of containers. We get cherry tomatoes, we get peppers, we get beans... and the mesh bags I used last season don't really work. I'd like to figure out a decent way to deal with the raspberries and the herbs...any suggestions? I get tired of ten million plastic bags... they are not kind to the environment and don't really biodegrade.
(now I just need a bigger kitchen..more counter space!!!!!!)
I am not thrilled with the idea of buying more things made of new plastic, but the dehydrator and the juicer should last a while, unlike plastic bags.... and they will lead, in the long run, to a healthier me. Most of the dried fruit that I find, these days, seems to have added sugar, or be "processed on equipment with wheat" (yyyaaaaaarrggggghhhhhhhhh). So at least, with this, theoretically, I can dry fruit in season, locally, and have something more sustainable for my health, with less chance of gluten contamination, and less sugar.
It is just amazing how much sugar there is in our food.
In an ideal world, I would eat sustainably all year round. But that is a full-time job, in some ways. That is one thing that amazes me. Eating healthy is work. It isn't quick and easy. There is a reason that the processed food industry grew up around women becoming more independent/self-sufficient/something other than home-makers. The challenge now is how to incorporate healthy eating/food preparation without it becoming a second job for most people.
There is BPA in cans. So can your own tomatoes! whee... that takes at least a day. Worth it, but it is hot, sticky work. And then you have to store all your jars. Plastic leaches... BPA, among other things. So you start carrying around a water bottle made from stainless steel.... but then you have to remember to wash it out....
And the list goes on...you want to reduce your sugar/salt/fat, which basically means cutting out processed foods...which means you start making things at home. So either you end up with a kitchen full of gadgets (mixer, blender, immersion blender [love this tool for soups], dehydrator, stand mixer, food grinder, juicer, food processor, coffee mill, toaster...am I missing anything?) or you end up really making things from scratch. (Bread maker, microwave [these are things I do not own, but that people have] rice cooker, sodastream, coffee maker)
GAAAAHHHHHHH.
It all needs storage space, or easy access. Or counter space, or, or, or.....and TIME.
