Where does my food come from?

So many children (and adults) do not know where their food comes from. You may not think twice about where the strawberries you buy in February are coming from or how the cows were raised that produce the dairy products you consume. Here is a quick activity that all adults and children should try:

1. Make a list of the 5 most common items you buy at the grocery store.

2. Go to the store, find the products and write down mark on a map (like the one below) where they come from.

3. For older children, calculate the distance that each item travels to get to the store.

4. Look for the same item and see if you can find another variety that travels a shorter distance to get to the store. Decide with your child if you should still buy the item based on your new knowledge.

5. Visit your local farmers market to meet the farmers who grow or produce foods that you enjoy close to your home. Ask the farmers to see if you can visit their farm with your child.

When faced with the choice of A. organic or B. conventional produce, most experts will agree that the answer should be C. local. Local and organic would be double bonus, but may not always be available. Depending on the source you look at, for every calorie of food about 10 calories of fossil fuels were used to produce and transport that item. If we can reduce the calories used to transport the food, by buying close to home, we can positively impact our environment.

Here are a few more sites for information on local food:

http://www.cityfarmer.info/2010/05/26/the-zero-mile-diet-a-year-round-guide-to-growing-organic-food/

http://greencommunityproject.blogspot.com/2008/03/how-far-does-your-food-travel.html

http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/camiles/foodmiles.pdf

Which item on your shopping list traveled the furthest to get to the store? Leave me a comment!

Plant seeds

One of the most important things that I have been learning about is food security. Namely, growing as much food as I can on the land that I have available. A great way to teach children about this idea is to help them plant seeds, or if they are older, help them plan out a section of garden that they will be responsible for.

This time of year in Calgary, good seeds to plant include: herbs, lettuce, squash, cucumbers, and any other plant that needs to be started about 6 weeks before the last frost. Young children would benefit most from quickly sprouting seeds like lettuce that can be grown to eating size in your window in about 3 weeks.

Be sure to plant in a container with drainage holes and use organic potting soil with compost or worm castings mixed in. Have your child mist the seeds each day.

Micro green mix planted in a spinach container with holes poked in the bottom and the top cover used as a drip tray.

In 3 weeks, we had a beautiful salad mix to eat for pennies.

Let me know what you plant with your children this week!