School Lunches

It's no secret that the food options in school cafeterias are often lacking nutritional substance. When I was a kid, school lunches were most often something fried, pizza, pasta or some other type of starch. In the 20 years since I was in elementary school, I gather that there has been little improvement in the selection. So, I am both glad and sad that steps are being taken to make school lunches more healthy. I'm glad because it's about time, and sad because it hasn't happened sooner. There is no bigger killer in this country than obesity, and it gets our kids while they are still too young to know better. It's up to us parents to make sure our kids are putting good stuff into their bodies, but we cannot do it by ourselves. We need our community's support, and that starts with schools. It's good to see that we are, at least, making progress.

CSA Bounty

After a couple of weeks of being a slacker after vacation, I made it back to the garden to put in a few hours and pick up some of the most recent harvest. There was a selection:

I helped myself to one of these

I didn't take that huge one, but the one I ended up with is a lot bigger than what you generally find at the store. I also took one of these:

Zuccini (yes, I took the big one). And this too:

Giant Cucumber, which I did take. And check out those curly ones. You certainly don't see that at the store!

So, the CSA program to which I belong is obviously awesome. For $50 per year and with at least 25 hours worth of work, I'll be receiving fresh produce until well into November. And with summer veggies the likes of these, my grocery bill is already benefiting! If you haven't already, check out CSA Utah and find a CSA program in your area. Get out there and support local agriculture!

Buying Local on a Budget

Okay, so let's just go ahead and say it: eating healthy is not always the most financially viable option. It's no coincidence that the foods that are slowly killing us are the cheapest ones. Guess what. It's possible to get healthy, fresh, local food inexpensively. Example: I just got a whole growing season's share of food for $50 and 25 hours of work in any of 13 local gardens per year. Can't beat that deal with a stick. And that's the beauty of CSA. Consult this list from Serious Eats for more ideas about fitting local products into your budget.

Get involved, get healthy. That's what we're talking about.

Utah Weather Strikes Again

It was close to 60 degrees yesterday when I got in my car to go home from work, and yet two days ago we saw more snow in two days than we had in three months. So far, it seems, this year is shaping up to be a repeat of last. Which gets me wondering: Can this crazy weather be enough cause for concern to Utah growers? According to this KSL article, it's too soon to tell. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens in the next month or two.

In the mean time, it's out with the growing lights to get your seedlings started! And be sure to check out the upcoming Spring Issue of Ingredients Magazine when it launches on April 1, 2012!

Welcome to Ingredients Magazine!

Hello! Welcome to Ingredients Magazine's Blog. Here's what you need to know about us:

Ingredients Magazine is an online publication that gives voice to local farmers and ranchers, independent grocery stores and the local food scene in Salt Lake City, Utah. We launched our first issue in June 2011, and just published Issue Number 7 at the beginning of January 2012 after a major overhaul of the magazine's design. Check it out at IngredientsMagazineSLC.com.

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