I had quite a busy weekend with visiting girlfriends. We went for a nice leisurely walk through quiet Jockey Hollow, and then walked around downtown Morristown and got a treat from Tart & Tufo on South Street. The tarty passionfruit frozen yogurt was perfect for that hot day. My friend was pleasantly surprised to find that her iced coffee cup was compostable and that the coffee was shade-grown, organic and fair trade.
My friends, who mostly live in Boston now, were shocked to find that NJ has beautiful and charming parts, and I think the area definitely helped change their minds about Dirty Jersey…mostly! They also kept saying “ecomotown” after everything, like when I busted out the cloth napkins (more on that in a later post), or put drink markers on all of the glasses so we could reuse them and keep track of whose was whose. I try not to impose this stuff on others, but with 5 gals visiting (yes, 5!), I knew we’d create a lot of waste. Plus, they “get it” and have made many efforts to green their own lives, too, so I didn’t feel too bad.
Anyhow, I’m lacking a good segway into this except to say I’m going to do a quick post here about milk. I always try to buy organic milk, but do you ever wonder about the distance your milk travels to make it into your reusable shopping bag? Wonder no more! This neat website, aptly named, “Where is my milk from?”can clue you in. Simply punch in the code on your milk carton and find out the locations of the farms that produced it. Since I’m on the train right now, I don’t have access to my milk carton, but I’ll update once I get home later this evening.
Where is your milk from? Try it out & let me know. I’m curious!
[Update: I am ashamed to admit that my Organic Valley milk, which is purportedly "farmer-owned," hails all of the way from H.P. Hood, Inc. in Winchester, VA! That is just over 250 miles away! Wow. Guess I will be looking for a new milk supply soon.
According to the Dairy List on Where is My Milk From.com, I should look for codes that start with 35, 36 or 42 to make sure the milk comes from NJ, NY or PA. Any suggestions on other options?]
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I tried it and our milk (or at least the gallon we currently have in the fridge) comes from Deland, Florida which is about an hour or so east of us. Interesting!
Londonderry NH, about 45 minutes…there are no dairy farms in Portsmouth.
My milk comes from my cows, I milk twice a day. Fresh and wholesome like it should be. Everyone should grow their own food and appreciate what life is all about.
Diane & Mal – Not too shabby! Way closer than where my milk comes from, as it turns out!
Anna – That’s great! Unfortunately I don’t have room for cows here in suburbia, but I certainly appreciate those who are able to keep their own cows. Where are you located, and do you sell your milk? If so, you might have a new customer!