Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

I have to admit, Barbara Kingsolver was one of my favorite authors for a long time, so when her most-recent book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle was loaned to me by an Epicurean co-worker, I dove in, ravenous for what she had to offer.
The premise of the book is a hot topic in today's' green-minded culture. Eat local, eat only what you can raise yourself or what's in season, and relish the treasures of your community. Kingsolver and her clan moved to the Southern portion of the Appalachian Mountains with the goal of raising her family on the fruits of the land. She is not a vegetarian and I cringed when I read the part about her raising her own turkeys for food, but I'm also inclined to doff my hat to her; that she can raise her own food and feed her family. She is adamant about the sources of other meats, insisting on locally, grass-fed varieties, so that's all I'm going to mention about the meat-eating, but still, her approach is a noble one, ensuring that at least the animals she does consume, led a decent life eating good food too!
I haven't finished the book yet, but I am already under the influence. For years I tried to eat locally, (I think it's called macro-biotic), and with the exception of bananas or citrus fruit, managed to subsist fairly well. Today, I know a lot more than I did then.
Now, when I go to Whole Foods, because the farmer's markets have ended for the year, I scan the tags looking for locally grown food. Tomatoes, forget about it. The closest tomato I can find is shipped from Florida. Luckily I still have some growing on my back porch, but I've harvested the last few before the frost and dread life without tomatoes. Avocados? Lettuce? It all comes from California, and this is Kingsolver's main contention. We've been spoiled by luxurious produce shipped from all over the world, oblivious as to what the cost on our environment is. I spotted these lovely oranges that looked great for juicing, bu when I saw they were from South Africa, I quietly passed them by. Kingsolver, equates calories with gas mileage, and in one instance, says that eating an apple from Washington State for someone on the East Coast is similar to driving 3 hours to walk 3 miles on a treadmill. Kind of counter-productive. In a time when global warming is directly linked to issues such as these, I want to take my part in this mission and try not to eat something, just because it's exotic, looks delicious or I need it for my recipe. Chances are that that red, delicious apple, might not taste as tasty as it looks. My boyfriend thinks I'm crazy, but I put my foot down at unnecessary items that have been shipped across the ocean.
For a raw foodist like myself, it is especially difficult. We subsist on nuts, that are primarily grown in places like Thailand, and while I grapple with that issue, I must remember to choose other items that haven't travelled as far for the rest of the meal.
Right now, I'm really digging squash, all types, simply steamed and topped with my own fresh-grown parsley. You can also make a nice squash mash, with steamed squash processed with olive oil and herbs. In the northeast, pickings are slim, but this is also the time of year when home-cooked foods, like root vegetables and onions can make a great meal. Stews really benefit from local produce. Can't live without that avocado? Well neither can I, but at least if we take small steps in passing by those delicious fruits from South Africa, we are making a difference.