Seriously! If you dread the supermarket and consider provisioning one of your least appealing activities, turn the process on its head. Think of acquiring food as a fun project – an opportunity to discover new vegetables and fruits, ethnic condiments, exotic spices, ancient grains, artisanal beans and a whole world of regenerative agriculture. If you choose to eat animal products – explore the worlds of wild caught, sustainable fisheries, grass-fed beef and lamb, organic, pastured poultry and eggs… Think of yourself as “The forager” – Alice Waters, an organic movement icon, Berkley restaurateur and cookbook author, actually has a “Forager” on her staff!
Start by expanding your sources: Find your local farmers’ markets, join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), ferret out organic farm stands, discover your local ethnic markets, subscribe to a food-waste recovery program*. At the farmers’ markets and stands, ask questions and buy what is beautiful. At the ethnic shops, buy a few things that you don’t recognize. Ask questions there, too; but if there is a language barrier, turn to the internet: what is this and how do I prepare it? Most of all, have fun!!
Once you’ve hauled your gorgeous bounty home, use it to decorate your kitchen, breakfast area or dining room. Display the produce that doesn’t need refrigeration in pretty bowls, baskets and, even in a large wooden garden tote. Not only will those fruits and veggies brighten up those spaces, but you will be less likely to forget about them – plus you’ll notice when they hit perfect ripeness – before they slide into compost fodder.
And don’t forget the refrigerated produce. It, too, can be displayed in enticing ways that help you remember that it’s there.
Not sure what doesn’t need refrigeration (at least for a while)? Here’s a start: potatoes (look for purple ones), winter squashes, tomatoes, lemons, apples, sweet potatoes, avocados, pears, turnips, melons, oranges, pineapples, stone fruits, oranges, limes, bananas, onions, garlic, peppers. Some may need to move into the fridge when they are at the peak – to stop the ripening. But most will go from basket to cutting board. NOTE: some fruits and veggies produce a hormone called ethylene that tells fruits to start ripening – some are producers and others are hyper sensitive to the “gas” which will affect what produce should nest together in your displays. J. See our article on that: “Foods that Shouldn’t Be Together”.
*Subscribe to a food-waste recovery program like Misfitsmarket.com that ships you “ugly” organic produce that would otherwise be left in the field to rot. These might be a little misshapen or too small or too big to meet supermarket standards but all perfectly edible. Actually we’ve never gotten any really ugly offerings – sometimes we can’t even figure out why it’s included in our shipment.