More Eating Animals

So after my initial post yesterday I have done some more research. It's definitely way more expensive to buy ethical meat than I anticipated which is super sad. It's particularly hard where I live because it is so urban I would have to travel pretty far to find truly certified ethical meat. However, I have been reading a few other blogs and exploring much better options than what we are doing right now.

First off, it's more realistic to say I am going to attempt to drastically cut down on the amount of of factory farmed meat I consume rather than saying I am never going to eat it again. For our family, at this point, it's not realistic. I have found a small local farm that is not "certified" but I have seen the farm and I feel good about the way they treat and feed their animals and they are more reasonably priced than some of the more more trendy ethical farms out in Virginia. I plan on visiting them next week to make some purchases.

Another step is to just eat less meat. I definitely am a meat lover and probably eat more than my share. So by increasing the amount of organic vegetables I am eating and decreasing the general amount of meat it will make a difference. Also, a huge point for me is the eggs. To me buying "cage free" at the grocery store means nothing. No one regulates this label being put on food so who knows if they are even doing it and many farmers' interpretation of cage-free means a million chickens are shoved in a room where it's so crammed they can't even walk or peck. So one plan I have it to use pumpkin instead of eggs and oil in my baking. I actually already do this with one type of cookies I make, but I plan on implementing this on everything I can. Now I am on a mission to find some locally grown ethical eggs nearby for the rest of my cooking. One exciting this is these kinds of eggs last longer than the type you get in the grocery store so the cost may even out over time because I always end up throwing eggs out all the time.

Eating Animals

So I've been wrestling with the idea of giving up meat for probably half of my life. When I was Catholic I usually gave up meat for Lent as a way to ease my conscience. Several times a year I deeply contemplate this, but I always chose to ignore it because I am weak and I LOVE meat. I know that if I really face up to the way the animals that we buy from the grocery store are really treated it makes me sick. Today, while sitting at home and watching Ellen I watched a spot on vegetarianism that I really couldn't ignore. I know this is a controversial topic for many people and there are strong opinions on both sides. I have resolved to begin by drastically cutting down on my meat consumption with the intention of eventually giving up al factory farm meat. I am lucky enough to know of a local farm that I know I would not be ashamed to eat the animals they raise. My issue is not the idea of eating animals but of encouraging the disgusting treatment of most of the animals that are a part of our daily diets. I hope I can do it because it is important to me but I know it will be hard. Wish me luck!