For the weekend, here’s a small story that illustrates the cost of our convenience society. Having recently moved to a new, smaller house, I’ve had the good fortune to have a much more workable kitchen, and have been enjoying making more of my own meals. I don’t think I’ve thought much about the issue of the cost in energy usage of buying pre-made foods, but this article from a favorite site of mine, Siteline, originally from Harvest Public Media, does a good job of illustrating the problem. Worth thinking about when you next grab for the washed greens in the store. Even our co-op sells them!
To make or not to make a homemade pie? That is a classic holiday dilemma. Do you take the easy way out and buy a fairly decent frozen pie, or do you risk making your own, resulting in a potentially burnt and lumpy version?
While there is something special about that homemade option, every cook knows that it takes a lot of your own time and energy.
Here in the U.S., we are increasingly relying on a different kind of energy to produce our food: fossil-fueled machines that bring us pre-made pie dough, bagged lettuce, and those chicken strips with perfect grill marks. But that convenience comes with a growing energy cost.