Try this: Look at some food items in your kitchen and see where they are made

[madville]

Then report back any surprises: Here are mine:

Tones Garlic Powder - Made in China
Crystal Light Drink Mix - Made in Mexico
Birds Eye Frozen Broccoli - Made in Mexico

I usually check all my labels and only buy US made goods unless it's something that's supposed to be made elsewhere like Olive Oil or Wine or something.

I'm interested if anybody else has any surprises in their kitchen. The garlic powder I should have known better, something like 60% of all garlic comes from China now. The Crystal Light and Birds Eye did surprise me though.

[abumbyanyothername]

1. The markets I shop in only stock California products

Palisades Farmers' Market on Sundays.
Santa Monica Farmers' Market on Wednesdays.

[madville]

2. Too bad I live so far from anywhere decent to shop

There is a Winn Dixie and Harvey's in town about 13 miles away and a Walmart about 18 miles away near the interstate. That's what I get living out here in the middle of nowhere. I do grow some good stuff in my gardens though :)

[eleny]

5. Maybe there are some farm stands nearby?

I remember when I visited relatives I just drove on small roads to check out the rural area and came across locally grown things at small stands. Being in a state where some things can be grown year round, you might be surprised.

Care to tell us what town in Florida? My folks lived in Citrus County at one time near the Gulf.

:hi:

[madville]

7. Up near the FL/GA stateline in North Central Florida

Valdosta, GA is about 30 miles away, there are a couple of farmers markets there I go to when I can. There is one regular road side stand about 10 miles away, I try to stop in there sometimes but he's open from 8-5 and I work from 8-5 in the other direction so it's hard to get over there.

[JDPriestly]

17. Do you buy flour and milk and soy products at the farmer's market?

How about olive oil and other staples? Tea? Coffee? You can get organic, but lots of products are not grown in the U.S. We used to grow lots of garlic, but I haven't seen any American garlic for quite a long time, not in the cheap stores in which I shop.

[abumbyanyothername]

19. Don't eat olive oil

Not sure what you mean by staples, but I don't eat grains.

Don't drink tea. Don't drink coffee.

Don't eat garlic.

I eat fresh fruits and raw vegetables only, including raw nuts and seeds. We call it the "Eden Diet."

[Xipe Totec]

3. I belong to a CSA

Garlic - local farm
Tomatoes - local farm
Potatoes - local farm
kale - local farm
kohlrabi - local farm
peppers - local farm
lettuce - local farm
basil - local farm
squash blossoms - my back yard.

[BuyingThyme]

4. I'm always amazed that I can buy a piece of fruit that came from Chile for a dollar

that would cost me fifteen dollars just to have it shipped.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. Isn't that wild?

And that the highly processed version of the same thing is even cheaper

[BuyingThyme]

10. And we haven't even discussed the import duties and fees.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. I know, I try to buy fresh and all that

but there are times I just go... AMAZING

And I don't mind eating Mexican Product by the way, lord knows I grew up with it. but there are days...

I mean locally finding locally grown apples is a pain... partly the groves have not recovered from the fires, but still

This is NAFTA... and it is not good.

FYI, this is not just a problem here. When I go to visit parents in Mexico City chances are the Gala apples are either from Washington State or Chile.

[BuyingThyme]

13. Yes, lots of apples in Washington.

And I think they pull of from cold storage all year.

[Betsy Ross]

6. I do my best not to buy imported food.

Living in California, I can usually get local produce. I do buy a limited number of packaged goods, but also read labels. I was so glad to see local apples begin to appear in the market this week. Call me a BoBo*, but the organic food I buy is so good, eating out has lost its appeal.

*Bourgeois Bohemian

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. Bird's eye has had massive farms down there after NAFTA

that said, that depends on the time of the year...

Crystal Light you near the border?

Granted, I'll admit, I don't drink that crap anymore myself

:-)

[Walk away]

12. Try World Spice if you want your garlic from the USA.

They carry it powered, minced and chopped and it is great.

Their prices are reasonable (especially if you order it in bags and provide your own tins or jars).

They carry a fantastic variety, grind most of it to order (the smoked paprika is heaven) and it comes from the USA unless it is supposed to come from it's country of origin.

Try it, it makes Tones taste like dust!

http://www.worldspice.com/spices/0110garlic-granules.shtml

[LeftyMom]

14. I live in Northern California. Most of my produce comes from near my house.

For that matter, if you live someplace in the continental US most of *your* produce probably gets grown near my house.

So here's a quick check of my kitchen for stuff other than produce. I didn't catch everything and didn't know the sources of all the bulk items, but my grocer usually labels these so I'll check the ones I don't know offhand.

Stuff that's local to me (>100 mi) and currently in my kitchen: rice, olive oil, walnut oil, walnuts, almonds, tomatoes, peppers, basil, red wine, red onions

Stuff from the rest of CA: silken tofu (Torrance,) orange juice (city not listed on label, presumably well south of here.)

Stuff from the rest of the US: red potatoes, coconut milk ice cream (Oregon,) Teese vegan cheese (Illinois,) frozen ravioli (Connecticut)

Stuff that's imported: Pasta, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar (Italy), coconut milk (Thailand), SoyaToo dairy free whipped cream (Germany,) Spar hazelnut spread (Holland,) Lumpia wrappers (Philippenes,) Cheezely vegan cheese (UK.)

[RB TexLa]

15. I have no problem buying food that is made in various parts of the world

why would I?

[abumbyanyothername]

16. You are participating in corporatocracy

unnecessarily.

Nearly every place in the US is capable of growing enough food to feed the local population . . . and this without resort to fossil fuels. And the food tastes better.

[Brickbat]

18. No surprises here, because I read the label of every damn thing I buy. Food, clothes, cars, toys,

books, everything. It helps me decide if I really need it or not. I've changed buying habits -- juice is a HUGE example -- because of what the label says. I switched to Florida's Natural OJ because they say "Made only from USA oranges" or something similar on the label. The apple juice I buy does the same. I read the label of everything and everyone else should, too.

[Nikia]

20. Maybe this will change because of the Chinese food scares

But all large scale domestic commercial garlic has already been bought for the next few years.
Unless otherwise stated, any dehydrated garlic probably comes from China.