So you’re curious ’bout the 100-mile diet. You’ve heard about Plenty, you know Twinkies can’t be good for you, you’re not a fan of pesticides, and you find your left eyebrow arching when you see organic asparagus from China in your grocery store.

But if you’re like most newbie greenies, you’re overwhelmed by the seeming wealth of options out there. Should you opt for an organic fruit delivery service? Or plunk your money down for this mysterious thing called a CSA farm? What about the farmers’ market — and what about all this stuff about food sufficiency and growing my own produce?

Below’s a simplified list of what you can do to eat like you mean it — without continuously obsessing over the “best” way to eat. Of course, this simplification’s ordered in my order of preference, obviously affected (victimized?) by my personal whims and opinions. Still, I hope you’ll find this list useful:

1. Hit the farmers’ market. The farmers’ market isn’t just about eating local — it’s about building local community. Sure, we’ve gotten used to e-ordering what we need over the internet without ever having to “deal with” a real human being. Yet in a sprawled city like ours, what many of us crave — sometimes without even recognizing it — is connection.

Even if you really believe you don’t give a shit about anyone you don’t already know, you should still hit the farmers’ market for selfish reasons — Yummy, organic, local food that tastes like — real food. If you’ve been getting all your fruit at Vons, you’ll be in for a surprise — A bite into a fresh, ripe tomato will be a sumptuous shock to your palate — one you’ll likely find addictive, leading to a regular farmers’ market habit –

2. Consider a small garden of your own. Okay — This is one area I should work on myself, as I have a decidedly black thumb. However, my friends tell me that — if you’re not too hung over to remember to water stuff — tomatoes and herbs really aren’t so hard to grow in SoCal weather. Plus, you’ll likely find pretty, organic starter plants at your nearest farmers’ market, yours at a cut-rate price for a new balcony garden. And lots of books can help you get started.

3. Meet your CSA. CSA = Community-Supported Agriculture — basically a farm supported by the community around it that’s willing to pay for local produce. For a good sense of what CSA looks like, watch The Real Dirt on Farmer John, a film ’bout a Chicago-area CSA. In the LA area, our closest CSA’s the Tierra Miguel Foundation CSA — an organic farm, nearby in Pauma Valley, Calif. Unfortunately, I had to opt against these peeps because subscribers have to pick up their produce — and I had no drop-off spot near me. You might, however –

4. Get organic fruits and veggies delivered to your doorstep. I’ve outlined local organic delivery services here — I recommend both ParadiseO and Organic Express, both of which I’ve tried myself.

5. Opt for organic at your nearest co-op grocery store, Wild Oats, or Whole Foods. Or if you’re really in a pinch, just try to buy organic what you can — I know some of you out in the boonies just don’t have a lotta options aside from Walmart.

6. Try turning your workplace on to organic fruits. The Fruit Guys deliver some yummy organic fruits in a way that’ll be palatable to many office atmospheres. If you’re sick of the Fritos and DingDongs options, tell a few of your co-workers ’bout this amazing fruit delivery service –

Happy eating –

[crossposted on BlogHer]

Tags: farmersmarket, diet, food, local, plenty

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