The Next Big Thing in the Organic Food Movement will be Affordably Fresh Food

As the world becomes smaller due to the internet and travel, the world of food and wine has exploded with newly discovered foods, cuisines, and wines that are now widely available to the general population. Along with this trend is the growing movement for fresh, local, organic and sustainable food. While I see these food movements continuing I also predict that because of ever increasing fuel and food prices an "Affordably Fresh" food movement will gain momentum.

There is already a growing need for people to buy and prepare food economically. While it's wonderful that we can now purchase acai berries, meyer lemons and other gourmet delights at our local grocery stores, they are also less of a priority as it becomes more difficult to maneuver within tighter food budgets. The consumer's financial constraints will give way to more affordable products, but because people have acquired a more sophisticated palate and a taste for food that goes beyond the basics there will be a new evolution that combines quality with a more down to earth approach.

Over the next year I believe that many will begin to plant at least the bare necessities in a vegetable/herb gardens. Many of these can be grown in containers inside the house or on a small porch/terrace so space isn't necessarily needed. This will cut back on the ever tightening grocery bill and allow a little breathing room. I think another part of this movement which goes hand in hand with the organic and sustainable will be barter for food. The barter system is more valuable and widespread during times of economic stress. During the depression and WWII many people grew their own vegetables and bartered food for work, or vice-versa. Instead of throwing away bones and vegetable scraps we'll make and store our own stocks. We will also return to a retro-style of cooking that infuses old school style American cuisine ( soup as an ingredient, casseroles, etc.) infused with newer, fresher cooking styles to create a hybrid American cuisine that is functional but fresh.

Another part of this trend will also be multi-tasking products that have cooking and household uses. Many of these items will supplant some of the household products we buy that are expensive. Inexpensive items such as vinegar can be used in many recipes but also for cleaning windows and other kitchen surfaces. Vinegars can also be infused with garden herbs and to marinate tougher, less expensive cuts of meat.

These are just small examples of what will quickly become a growing trend in the coming years. It's inevitable that with gas and food prices soaring higher each month that we will have to pull in our belts and learn from the past how to use every bit of what we grow and buy. Every generation takes a lesson from the past and adds some of what they have learned to make a delicious melting pot of Stone Soup.