Tomato Slaves

As if yucky winter tomatoes weren't enough of a bummer already, how about this for a real buzzkill: if you have eaten a tomato this winter, chances are very good that it was picked by a person who lives in virtual slavery. This is the subtitle of the article Politics of the Plate: The Price of Tomatoes in the March issue of Gourmet. As if I wasn't already somewhat of a fanatic about where my food comes from, this definitely upped the ante more than a bit. 

The moral of the story here? Buy local, seasonal and small-scale. I know, I know, it's tough to find a good winter tomato. But did you really want those mealy suckers anyhow? Thankfully, spring is here, and tomatoes will not only taste a lot better soon, your options for local purchase will increase. 

Things you can do: 

• Don't buy tomatoes from Florida or Mexico
  
• Support your local farmers' markets
• Find out about your local CSA program (Bozemanites, here's ours, better sign up soon)
  
• Pick up a copy of Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle for some inspiration on eating local and healthy. Nice fresh springtime reading (btw, here's my book review). 

Promise, more uplifting posts coming soon.