Purchasing and preparing food locally: it's easy and I'll show you how.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Be Smart

The main culprit keeping us from buying and making food locally is convenience. It is easier to buy a carton of ice cream than turn a quart ourselves. It is easier to buy a can of beans than to soak and cook our own. It is easier to buy bottled salsa than make fresh and I won't even bring up the need to first plant and grow the tomotaoes, cilantro, and peppers.

Fresh Salsa - 90% Locally Grown, 100% Locally Made

So convenience is the bad guy. How do I buy and make locally, but do it all conveniently? The answer is Be Smart. Let's face it, no matter how much you do or don't love cooking, in the end you want to sit down, eat, and enjoy time with those you love. Appliances. They make it possible and convenient to soften those beans, make fresh ice cream, and chop that salsa into shape so your time can be spent laughing (and getting compliments on the best dinner ever). Best of all, appliances help to reduce the amount of production done on an assembly line in a factory somewhere and increase it in your home which means fresher food, more control on what goes in your food, and more money in your pocket.

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream on Locally Grown Papaya

When talking about appliances, I recommend the essentials. The best appliances are ones that do double or triple duty by having more than one function. For example, I don't have a rice maker but I do have a CrockPot because it cooks dinner, cooks rice, cooks dry beans, and even does bread. Another essential is a BlendTec as it functions as a juicer, food processor, mixer, and is just plain cool. I also love the ice cream maker recently purchased for my family as we can make ice cream for a treat splurge or sorbet for a healthier dessert. Whatever appliance you buy- Be Smart - make sure it functions well for you and lightens your load.

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