The yearning for Grapes, Strawberries etc......

The other day I was opening a bag of radishes and Riley yelled out "yeah grapes". I explained to Riley that they were radishes and that I don't buy grapes this time of year because they are not in season. She was so bummed that you would have thought that I just ripped a piece of choclate out of her hands. However, this interaction got me thinking a bit about how hard it is sometimes to eat in season, local, organic and how really hard it is in February to see the light of summer on the horizon.

We are not exactly eating rhubarb, but we are trying to keep it as close to seasonal as possible. But I'm wondering if maybe I'm doing my children a disservice? They really like fruits and vegetables and eating oranges is getting a bit old - so what is a mom to do. And honestly I walk past the grapes with almost the same desire as I do when a homemade choclate chip cookie is placed in front of me. I'm wondering if it might be better to just worry about organic this time of year rather than seasonal as I feel like my kids are eating more crackers or applesauce - albeit homemade are still not whole foods and I really like when they are eating whole foods.

I guess this is just one more dilemma in the cycle of trying to figure what is good for the planet and what is good for us. BTW - I did break down and buy the kids organic strawberries from Florida and I may have one mom of the year from this one purchase alone - who knew strawberries would be held on such a high pedastal. I don't think the 1lb container lasted more than 10minutes.

A Year of Fun - One month at a time.

I wanted to share with you all something that my sister has started this year and I do take some credit of rubbing off on her, but she is taking the bull by the horns and trying something new each month. Here's what she has so far:

January - Turn it Off - she has turned off the t.v, computer, video games etc. for the whole month - even parents. The only thing allowed is for the adults to check email/bank accounts and if there is a school project that requires typing and/or limited computer use - her oldest is 8.

February - Free Feb. The family will purchase nothing the entire month except for essentials i.e. food. If there is a birthday party - they will make something instead of buying. This could get interesting.

March - Meatless March - well for her it will include some seafood she is fairly new to all of this so in the words of my sister - we are not totally nutty yet.

April - All about Earth April - their family will focus on recycling efforts and creating less waste.

May- she has figured out, but I suggested MOOOVE OVER MAY - No Dairy - she thought I was crazy.

June - Just keep it fresh June - all homemade foods - nothing processed at all - not even pasta. Although keep in mind my sister did graduate from the Culinary Institute of America, so she can do it.

I think that is far as she has gotten and I did recommend a month where they monitor there water consumption and they are trying rain barrels this summer. They are blessed with a huge backyard and an awesome garden, so I think they will do well.

Please feel free to post some ideas for the months she has decided on yet and if you decide to do this - I think we are going to do it - please post I would love to hear the challenges and accomplishments of doing this.

"To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art." La Rochefoucauld