the Village Knittiot

Stephanie was kind enough to point me to this very interesting article in the comments of Monday’s post. This in turn led me to an article on GoVeg.com that talks about the benefits of going with a plant-based diet. In addition to a number of other sources, they point to this study conducted by scientists at the University of Chicago, in which the environmental benefits of eliminating animal products from your diet are compared to the impact of buying a Prius. In the end, vegetables are pronounced the victor! Not surprising.

In point of fact, when I became a vegetarian four years ago, it wasn’t my love for animals or the antagonistic tactics of PETA** that won me over. It was seeing, in black and white figures, the vast reduction in my ecological footprint when I eliminated meat from my diet (that link will take you to a quiz that allows you to calculate your current environmental impact and offers suggestions for how to reduce it further).

Having grown up in the land of meat and potatoes, learning to cook good vegetarian food was an exciting (and not always successful) adventure, and one I was not even remotely prepared for. There were many disasters along the way (like the pasta drenched in something like half a cup of oil or the peanut sauce that was so bad I was no longer hungry after just one bite), but there was also a great deal of discovery. Rather than limiting my options, I found that I was suddenly faced with a vast new territory of food, filled with a wealth of new foods, spices and cooking styles that I had never considered before.

As I started familiarizing myself with more and more vegetarian cuisine, I noticed that there was a strong tendency to try and recreate meat-based dishes. And usually (as in 99% of the time) these substitutes did a terrible job of simulating the flavors, textures and appearance. There were some standout exceptions, but generally they were disappointing. And truthfully, once I had given up the meat, getting something that tasted like beef or chicken or something else was kind of, well, weird. I still prefer a veggie burger that tastes like a mixture of roasted veggies and grains to the life-like versions available in supermarket freezers.

Across the years, I have done a lot of studying, reading, experimenting and thinking about food, nutrition, the role of agriculture in various societies, the relationship between eating and health, and most importantly, how to cook meals that are tasty, satisfying and nutritious. I believe in the importance of having a conscious relationship with the food we eat, being mindful of the choices we make and most importantly, approaching our attitudes and beliefs about food with a non-judgmental and compassionate perspective. This means that we recognize that we are doing the best we can within the context of how we have been raised, the cultural messages we have received about food, and the challenges of cultivating a healthy approach to eating in our food-obsessed society. It means doing what you can each day, abandoning labels (they’re never useful) and continuing to move forward with the small, manageable goals we set for ourselves. Whatever those goals are, taking the time to think about what we are putting in our mouths is an admirable start.

For those interested in an excellent resource for vegetarian cooking, I suggest checking out The Low Budget Vegetarian. This book really brought our vegetarian cooking to a new level. Written by an acquaintance of Mr. Knittiot’s, this home brewed cooking primer is now (I believe) being offered on his site as free downloadable PDF. The recipes are decent enough (there are quite a few gems actually), but much more important than that are his thoughts on how vegetarian cooking differs from meat-based cooking. Essentially, meat dishes rely on the fats in the chicken or beef or pork to infuse flavor, whereas vegetarian food requires a different medium. Cooking with oil, the appropriate spices for different world cuisines, when to add them, how to achieve different effects — this is all covered. And with some time and experimentation, it will transform your vegetarian dishes into something that even the most dedicated carnivore can’t help but like. Trust me, we know this from experience.

There was also a really great article recently in the New York Times about Isa Moskowitz of the Post Punk Kitchen. I’d link you to it, but I can’t seem to access it and I am starting to get really frustrated with the New York Times, even more so than usual. If you feel like taking the time to look it up, there are some really good recipes attached, two of which I’ve tried (Butternut Squash Spring Rolls and Spicy Peanut Stew — mmmmmmm…). She also has a couple of cookbooks out that sound intriguing. Since we are a no-refined sugars household, I won’t be getting the cupcake book, but I may be picking up Vegan with a Vengeance sometime in the near future.

**PETA disclaimer: I am not trying to offend upstanding and well-intentioned members of PETA, However, having grown up around people who felt the need to “evangelize” on behalf of their religion using any means necessary to save my soul, including more than enough guilt, fear, judgement and self-righteousness, I am turned off by a group of people who seem like the vegan version of the same. I am far more interested in rational discussions that leave guilt and judgement out of the equation and instead embrace people for who they are and where they are at.

Over the last several years, Mr. Knittiot and I have been going through the slow and complicated process of learning more about our impact on the planet and taking small, practical steps toward reducing our overall ecological footprint. We are a long way from where I want to be, but too much focus on the big picture and not enough on the simple, daily contributions results in discouragement.

Back at the beginning of the year, prompted by a post on Worsted Witch, I began to think about my new year’s goals in a different way, an ecological way. At the time I meant to post them here, but I hadn’t quite gotten back in the swing of things. Today, while reading Pocket Farm’s post on the value and ingenuity of the victory garden, I was reminded of at least one of them — planting a garden.

Some of you may recall that I had big plans last summer to create a grand, elaborate garden to meet our produce loving needs. However, it turned out to be a much larger project than I had the energy to deal with. This year, I would like to actually get it off the ground. Apparently people who do this kind of thing on a regular basis start their planning now, so…I guess I ought to get going on that.

Somewhat connected to the gardening goal is a desire to learn how to can tomatoes. Mr. K and use very few processed foods, but one of the things that I haven’t figured out how to get rid of is the canned tomatoes. Sometime fresh just isn’t affordable or useful. My stepmom used to get a huge case of tomatoes in the summer and can enough to last us all winter long (at least she did the summer I lived with her). I doubt I can get a whole winter’s worth out of my small backyard garden, but perhaps I can find a local source to supplement. One thing my stepmom did was instill a deep fear of accidentally poisoning myself by doing something wrong. So I have this vague feeling that canning tomatoes is a combination of science and magic, and messing up either will have fatal results.

The other thing we have focused on a lot is reducing the amount of garbage that goes in our trash bin. To further those aims, we are looking to get into the worm business. The Worm Lady sells an excellent vermicomposting solution, which works well for apartment dwellers. One pound of worms can go through as much as 3 lbs. of garbage a week! So, that is on the list of environmental purchases.

There are some other things I want to do, like replace our shower head with one that uses less water, come up with better solutions for conserving energy around the house (I am one of those people who has the bad habit of leaving lights on in other rooms of the house when I am not using them), and participating in the one local summer challenge.

As usual, I will continue to simplify my life, reduce my consumer spending, limit the number of miles I drive (and carpool whenever possible), get more of my books from the library, bring my own bags to the grocery store, buy local products when possible, use non-petroleum based soaps and detergents, clean with all natural products (vinegar, baking soda and castille soap are all I need to keep the house clean and sparkly), support organic farmers and try to be happy and enjoy every moment of my life. It is short after all and you can only do what you can do.