Eating Animals II: eating vegetables

In preperation for Friday's post, I got to thinking about animals...

This summer along with lambs, cows, and pigs, we raised turkeys. We decided not to raise the heritage breed, but to raise the conventional, broad-breasted turkeys, and to raise them unconventionally. They lived their entire lives outside, protected from predation by solar-electrified fencing, with constant visits from your's truly. I loved those turkeys. I loved Tomahawk, and I loved Iceberg. I loved Galliopo, Chaos, Gunnison, Gravner and Beardo. I named them, too, because I was a fool in love. Then November came and we had to process them.

As Michael Pollan has pointed out, "process" is a kind term for killing, cleaning and packaging, but that's what it is: killing. The night before, we loaded them all in the truck, and as the truck pulled away with all of my buddies staring at me, my heart sank, and the next day we killed them. I helped. I can't be more honest when I say it was the hardest day of my life, and I still haven't reconciled it completely. Killing is not easy, and truthfully, I'm glad it's not easy. I'm glad it was hard on me. It shouldn't be easy.

Having raised food in this manner I look at food I didn't raise very differently. And this doesn't just apply to meat, but to vegetables as well.

It's hard in the winter to get fresh, local, organic vegetables. Hard, but not impossible. It's important to do so however, as an animal lover, vegetarian, or what have you, because the chemicals, preservatives, clear-cutting and soil depletion involved in conventional vegetable production (not to mention genetic modifications, poisoning of ground water, encouragement of monocultures, etc. after etc. after etc.) is massively detrimental to wildlife and humans alike. Get your veggies from organic, local farmers when you can. The devastation caused by conventional vegetable farming is less spectacular than feedlots obviously, but it's not necessarily less harmful in the long run. I didn't intend on this being some brand of public service announcement, but that's sorta what it's become. A vegetarian is equally as responsible for making responsible food choices as an omnivore. And, as a shameless natural wine plug, both are equally as responsible for making good beverage choices to go with their diets. Drink wisely, eat wisely, still party, but do it responsibly. After last season on the farm, I can't see it any other way.

Now enjoy the lamby lambs. I call her Boogie.