Be Smart

About to pay $4 for a gallon of gas, as I am? Or maybe you're already beyond that particular sticker shock? If you're in Europe, of course, you're chortling merrily at the thought that gas-hogging Americans are getting their comeuppance at last.

Anyway, you and I want to cut back on driving. Here's one way. Cut back on trips to the grocery store. Blogger Garlic Breath tells you how.

My first question: what about the food shopping not carried out at a grocery store? What about all those lovely local vegetables, like the fat purple asparagus that got us through much of May? And the strawberries. And the peas? Peas, please, even though they must be shelled. And the tiny summer squash and blackberries and sweet corn that will arrive in July?

All of which must be purchased afresh every few days from farmers that are local, but not quite local enough. Decidedly not within walking distance.

Garlic's answer to that is Grow Your Own. Easy for her to say, I whine, my yard gets no sun. Knowing full well there are ways around the sun problem, like community gardens, if I only wanted to Grow My Own. But, sorry to say, I don't.

So I'll compromise. I'll try to plan ahead and stock up so I can skip the supermarket more often. I will keep driving to farmer's markets, but will tell myself I'm saving fuel because at least my lettuce isn't shipped across the country from California.