Price Chopper Dilemma

I have always been one to pay attention to the seasons, but never have I been more aware of them as I am this year. Having gone to the farmers’ market almost every Saturday this fall, I got used to having fresh, delicious vegetables in my fridge. I had sandwiches and wraps almost every day but I didn’t get tired of them because the veggies (especially the tomatoes!) were so flavorful. A couple of weeks ago, I got my tomatoes at Price Chopper for the first time this semester. What a disappointment! They may be red and flawless on the outside, but on the inside they are hard and devoid of all flavor and color. I tried to continue my usual diet of sandwiches and wraps, but it wasn’t satisfying anymore. I found myself snacking more,  and getting take-out on almost a daily basis from Hamilton Whole Foods, Hamilton Eatery, or Oliveri’s. Not only was I craving more flavor, but with the weather getting colder every day, I was craving hot food. Yesterday , I finally I decided to go to the grocery store and do something about this. Back at Price Chopper, I found myself in quite a quandary. I have tried for awhile now to eat foods that are less processed, but after watching King Corn and Food Inc., I felt even more conscious of this. As I looked around, it seemed that everything around me was either processed or shipped from hundreds or thousands of miles away (most of the vegetables). It felt like I was in a lose-lose situation.

 In desperation, I called my parents. I explained to them the dissatisfaction I had been feeling with my sandwiches and wraps and asked them if they could think of anything hot I could make myself for dinner from relatively unprocessed ingredients. My mom suggested a “Mexican Pumpkin Stew”. She immediately started listing off the ingredients: butternut squash, canned diced tomatoes, canned kidney beans, canned corn, salsa, etc… Although I wasn’t too jazzed about the idea of most of the ingredients coming in cans, I was happy that the main ingredient – the butternut squash – is something that at least was grown in this state. I figure it’s impossible to make a meal out of entirely local, unprocessed ingredients – especially in the winter! – so I might as well just do the best I can. I was able to find organic versions of all the canned ingredients, so that made me feel better. When I got home, my roommate expressed her distrust of the “organic” label. That got me thinking – am I just a blind consumer falling for the “organic” label cause it makes me feel good? After doing research on “organic” production in China last summer, I do feel like I can trust USDA organic more than Chinese organic. However, I would like to look into the authenticity of the “organic” label here in the U.S. I hope that we will discuss that in this last section of our course.

I plan on making the “Mexican Pumpkin Stew” tonight so I’ll report back and tell you all how it comes out!