Does anyone else have massive dilemmas when making lunch? Whilst throwing a load of vegies in a pot with some stock sounds so easy, as I made it today my thoughts went to bigger problems as I assessed exactly what went into the pot. Maybe it's the weather, or the eclipse, but nothing seems straightforward at the moment. J is just pleased I'm cooking - last week I'd cry at the thought. I am too - it's nice pottering and providing a meal for us, especially as he's in the freezing shed working on Buttercup.

There were some easy things about this soup - picking fresh silverbeet, swede, parsley and garlic shoots from the garden. The rest was a little harder. Today I planted potatoes, but they won't be ready for a while, and I'm very conscious about where my food comes from. It's important to me to buy produce that is local as I can get it, reducing air miles and doing what I can to support local farmers so that I'm able to continue buying fresh local food when I can't supply it myself. J. insisted on driving up the local supermarket to get fresh potatoes from a local farm, which was great - they are far more buttery and creamy than the ones for the supermarket. I usually make J. wash them for me - it's one of my pet hates, washing dirty potatoes. Dirty beetroot, dirty parsnips - no problem, but such is my weirdness that I object to grubby potatoes.

When you're aware of where your food comes from, every purchase becomes an ethical dilemma. If I don't support local businesses, I'm basically saying I don't care about my fellow human beings. I'm saying that I don't care about their need to provide for their families, the hard work that goes into producing good food. But it's more than this, too, when you care about the environment and want to protect this fragile planet of ours. Buying local means less transportation which means less consumption of fossil fuels. It means less traffic congestion. It means less urban sprawl - when small businesses relocate to towns to make their money, more houses spring up to accommodate them, more shopping districts, more habitat loss and pollution.

And the more I support this local economy, the better it will get. We're seeing all sorts of local industries pop up around here which means that I don't go as far to get what I need. There's biodynamic, grass fed beef and pork. There's local raw honey, eggs, garlic and potatoes (all of which I also produce, in season). There's even a purple potato chip company, a beautiful soap manufacturer, a flour mill and a baker, and a cordial maker. It would be easier if they all sold out of the same place, rather than going from shop to shop or to the farmgate, but then to me, it's small price to pay for the environment and local economies. The problem with us, because we all tend to do it, is that we get lazy and want the convenience, often because we're too busy or tired to make the effort. But I try. I really do, and it feels good.

The other dilemma I have is J's FODMAP. I love lots of garlic in winter soups, and have some pickled garlic on hand now that the fresh stuff has run out. However, J. can't digest it, and I'm not into causing my husband too much pain. However, there's a way around every problem, and this one was to fry some fresh onion tops (I grow clumps of cloves specifically to use them like garlic chives) to flavour the oil, and then strain it. As garlic isn't soluble in oil (or the bit that'll hurt him) this is acceptable, so I do that. I also have to check each vegetable to make sure he can digest them, but it's thankfully a long list for this kind of soup. Food is medicine, but it's also poison for some, regardless of the health benefits some foods might bring. The best natural medicines sometimes - garlic, cauliflower (coming out of the garden right now, as local and fresh as you can get) are the worst for those who can't tolerate them. Thank god we were made aware of this diet, because there was not going to be any over the counter cure for it.
Once this dilemma is worked out, I contemplate what's in season. Seasonal food is better for you, because it doesn't have to go as far to get to you, or isn't force grown with chemicals in greenhouses or picked too early so it lasts on the way to our table. It's also better for the environment because it doesn't travel as far and you're more likely be able to get it locally. Luckily, this kind of soup is souper - it's a winter soup that necessitates winter vegetables. I love the fennel tops too, because they are low waste - I'll save the big fennel bulb for dinner tonight but the tops are great in soup - very much like celery (which J. can't eat!).

The proof is in the tasting. J. comes in with frozen hands and a big smile. He's so happy, eating this soup. He loves it because it reminds him of his Gran, who always used to make it. Plus, it won't make him sick.

And that's just souper.

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