Mommyfood

I just finished reading Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer.  It's a report on meat production in the US and a philosophical and ethical viewpoint on eating meat.  The author turns to vegetarianism because it's the only way for him to avoid supporting factory farming, by which the vast majority of our meat is produced cheaply by externalizing huge ethical, humanitarian, and environmental costs.  While I have not created any new "rules" for myself, it has caused me to think more carefully about the food I eat.

We are extremely fortunate to be able to source and afford meats, dairy, and seasonal vegetables directly from local farms whose practices are acceptable--organic when possible and, with animal products, the animals are always pasture-raised, fed a natural diet, and cared for by actual human farmers and their families. Sweetwater Farm, Robinson Farm, Diemand Farm, Carter and Stevens Farm, and Adams Farm supply us with fantastic food here in central Massachusetts; Localharvest.org is also a great resource.)

On my food choices: where did it come from?  What did it cost the animal, the environment, the workers to make?  What will it cost my health (and thereby my child's health) to eat it?  Asking these questions could be a step in reducing my impact and being healthy, and also teaching my child about food.

The most "whole" babyfood

Sam has been actively experimenting with food this summer.  I try to give him the most whole version of the food (without posing a choking hazard, of course) so eventually he will have an idea of how food grows: he has plucked blueberries from bushes straight into his mouth, slurped on garden tomatoes, gnawed on pork ribs, and popped corn kernels off the cob. 

Sweet corn is a huge hit!













At 10 months, breast milk is still the biggest part of his diet, but we're sure having fun with the solids now!