I noticed the other day after breakfast this was all the waste left over after the meal:

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Except for the fruit sticker, it all goes to the chickens where it will be recycled as eggs and fertilizer.

It’s not always like this; believe me, sometimes our trash can gets a workout, but whenever we can have a nearly zero-waste meal I love it. I love it as much because it’s easy as because it’s eco. Toss it in the chicken bucket, no sorting, no flattening, no rinsing and wondering. Yes, wondering.

I wonder whether or not the recycling really is recycled, or does it sometimes get tossed in the landfill out of convenience? I wonder how much fossil fuel it takes to recycle the waste back into something useful. I wonder about the chemicals in the packaging next to our food in the first place.

So much better to eat in a way that doesn’t require packaging.

And speaking of that telltale fruit sticker, it reminds me that pear came from far away, in a truck, perhaps in a plane, burning non renewable energy and polluting the air on its way.  I can’t wait for our own pear trees to begin producing fruit.

Occasionally I’ve been able to go out into the yard here in suburbia and pick enough food, eating it there on the spot as I go, to qualify as a meal. A few handfuls of cherry tomatoes, a few figs, herbs, and greens.

No cooking, no dishes to wash.

That’s my kind of recycling/eating local.

Have you ever eaten a meal right out of the garden, while standing in a garden you grew yourself? It solves so many problems right there: pollution, waste, inactivity, poor nutrition, boredom. Or, of course, bring the produce of the garden inside, minimally prepare it, and serve it with family and friends and you’ve also struck a blow against social isolation.

What problems do you think could be solved or reduced with more local, hands on gardening? Do you think it’s possible to make a difference?