Why I can't just buy local

Increasingly I am finding pleasure in food. Not eat-to-cheer-myself-up pleasure, but pleasure in healthy, nutritious, tasty, allowed in the diets, food. I generally am a supporter of local produce. I like the of idea knowing the vendors at the farmer's market, of giving income to local farmers, and of finding really fresh produce. But all of our transportation for produce does have it's benefits. Like pomegranates and cinnamon.

Pomegranates, the attractive red leathery ball full of jewel-like juicy seeds, do not grow in Michigan. They are native to Iran and northern India, but can be grown in dryer parts of California and Arizona. Medical documentation exists showing pomegranates juice can help prevent arthritis, prostate cancer, and are rich in antioxidants. Cool because every fall the girls and I delight in buying these globes, cutting them open, extracting the seeds and gobbling them up. If ever a fruit appeared fit for a princess, it is definitely pomegranate seeds. They are beautiful. We don't buy the juice as it is pricey, but surely the satisfaction we get from eating the gems gives us some of the medical benefits. If you have never eaten a pom with you kids, I highly recommend it. The seeds are good as snacks and in salads and on chicken!

I was reading K part of an American Girl book about Samantha. For those not in the loop, American Girls are historical fiction characters, dolls, clothing and books. Samantha happens to live in Victorian times, around 1900. And as with too many good things, the American Girl company made so much money that they have expanded far past the good historical dolls and now feed into the "everything is about me" mentality of young children. But this post is supposed to be about food. Samantha came home from school and was served hot chocolate and cinnamon. Mmmmm. I love cinnamon. Like the pom, without all our transportation we wouldn't have access to cinnamon. Most cinnamon comes from the West Indies, and supposedly Sri Lanka grows the most desired cinnamon. And research suggests cinnamon helps diabetics, though probably the amount I use my hot chocolate is inadequate. Did you know cinnamon is calorie-free? Even if it added zero flavor, having it add the smell is worth the extra step. Try it. Add a quarter teaspoon cinnamon to your hot chocolate. Then smell for a long while as your drink cools. It's almost as lovely as picking basil from the garden and sniffing your hands after you chop up the basil for your soup. I wish they made air fresheners that smelled like fresh basil.