You say tomato, I say from where?

So here is a thought...why local? why fair-trade? why organic? Which one of these should come first?

How we live today effects tomorrow. I am sure everyone has heard that statement once or twice before. Our world keeps getting smaller, everything is more accessible to more and more people everyday.

Being from Canada, a colder country than the one I live in now, I realized that I cannot remember a time when I could not have gotten tomatoes all year round. Globalization has made that possible but is it necessary?

Do we really need to have all varieties of fruits and vegetables at our disposal all year long? And is it even healthy or natural for us to consume off-season products that have been picked before they ripened and then transported thousands of kilometres.

This is just the start of problems when you really think about how you got your tomato. First of all, if it is not organic then there is a good chance it has been exposed to its healthy dose of pesticides and herbicides, the seed itself may have been altered or selected to be resilient to pests.

Next thought...who cared for it? who picked it? who cared for the people who cared for and picked your tomato? did it come from Joe down the road? A farmer in your province or state? A farmer in your country? A country away? A few countries away?

I am not saying I have never bought a tomato from Mexico or that I have never bought one in the winter...I have. I am just saying that it is important to be aware of where food and products come from.

These days, I do however try and buy produce that is local, organic and in season. In season and local, especially because it is cheaper and it makes sense to eat hearty root vegetables in the winter with soups that make you feel warm and salads with tomatoes and lettuce in summer as it is refreshing. Besides at the end of the day shouldn't food be one of the more important items in the budget?

Another thought, have you gone to the organic section and decided that it was too expensive? What was the item? Was it all of the organic items? Or items that would not grow in your country, or not at that time of the year?

It does truly get complicated, right now I am lucky that Australia can grow most of the fruit and vegetables I look for locally but Canada can be a bit tricky to buy an avocado, olives or a mango local? What do you do? Only buy things that Canada can grow? Buy fair-trade so you have chance that workers are being paid and treated fairly?

What is your opinion? I would love to hear it!

This entry is mainly on produce but what about meats and material items? Follow this blog to read upcoming topics...

Savvy Shopper

I thought the first thing I would share is how we saved over a thousand dollars when shopping for the baby essentials.

It is something you can do worldwide you just have to be a bit savvy when shopping. I started researching very early on to see what products were out there, what was the overall reviews on the products I was interested in purchasing and what was there average retail price.

Then I began hunting...on gumtree (like Criagslist for us Canadians). I would get an idea of which products I would like and then just search every couple of days until what I wanted came up for a great price.

For example we got our pram for less than half the price, it came with all the extras and it was still made in New Zealand where the newer models are now made in China. Plus it looked brand new when I gave it a little wash.

Such simple ways to get what you want, save money and help reduce waste by reusing perfectly good items. Feels great every time you get a deal.

Does anyone have any success stories they would like to share? I would love to hear about them.

That is all for now, hope to hear from you soon :)

Stay well. Stay Green. Be Happy.

Introduction

This blog will be based on following our path from corporate to farm-business. It will also include information on eco-alternative choices for everyday use.

As we approach the new level of consciousness I would like to share views and ideas in hope to help others share theirs. Everyone has a purpose and a path in life and it is up to us to take the chances to find it.