A "quick" shopping trip

I decided to make myself some potato soup last night, some comfort food to match the cool rainy night. Having most of the ingredients already, I only needed to hit the grocery store for a few items.

First le me digress, I’m not in a position to replace everything I already have – food or otherwise. Not only would it be a waste, but it seems like it would be just as disgraceful to purchase something from someone who labored over it, only to waste it. Or is that just me rationalizing? I’m also not in a financial position to clear out my cupboards, this project is just one step at a time.

So all I needed was celery, milk, eggs and orange juice for breakfast, teriyaki marinade for my non-vegetarian husband, and if I could find some bacon that looked like it met my standards I’d buy some for husband since it’s his birthday.

This proved to be more of a challenge than I realized. The celery was easy, pulled some great looking stock from the organic section.

The eggs I thought would be easy, but as I reached for my usual “grain fed, cage free” two things stuck me. Grain fed? That means corn fed. Are chickens okay to eat corn as a staple? I didn’t know. And just what does “cage free” really mean? Some are marked “cage free” and some “free roam”. I had investigated eggs long ago but can’t really remember any of it.. I skipped the eggs for now until further research. We’ll be getting chickens later this year anyway, both for the eggs and for the fertilizer, then I’ll know just what I’m eating.

The orange juice threw me too, I thought I’d just grab a bottle of organic, but there was no organic orange juice available.

I have limited organic options close to my home, but QFC usually has the basics. I live about 15 minutes from any real organic or natural store so I usually just pick and choose from the small selections at QFC, Safeway or Fred Meyer. Since I work from home I don’t even drive close to any large stores on a regular basis, so I can see I’ll have to be more organized with weekly menus and shopping lists so I can rationalize using the gas going to PCC or Whole Foods.

For milk, well I typically grab an organic, any but Horizon. I’ve heard that Horizon Organics farms don’t treat the animals humanely. Although after talking with a vegan he informed me that cows at organic dairies may suffer more because they don’t receive the antibiotics to treat wounds on the udders. I think I need to look into this deeper and maybe find a local dairy I can trust. Having my own dairy cow isn’t really on option! (though I’d love to have one, they’re so cute).

Teriyaki marinade – I hope Paul Newman brand is as good and wholesome as it appears, it was my only option not full of corn syrup.

The bacon was as expected for a traditional grocery store. As I looked at the few brands available I had visions of pigs being crushed on Food, Inc. No bacon today, sorry dear. We’ll go out for breakfast anyway. I’ve told him this may be my last visit to a non-organic/vegan/natural restaurant.

As I find the answers to my questions above I’ll share, I just didn’t’ realize such a short trip to the grocery store would bring up questions for nearly every item on the list. Links to reliable sources for above questions are appreciated, anything to make my research less labor-intensive.

My other goal for this week: Investigate dairy practices and popcorn. Yes, popcorn. Popcorn is a staple for me and I’ve realized this is probably in direct conflict with my goals. .

Wishful thinking for others: Simply to think about what you’re consuming.

Current resources and links: Food, Inc(www.foodincmovie.com)