Have you ever gone to the grocery store, been perusing the fruit, and put something down because it was too ugly? Be honest!
You're not alone.
Our entire society loves things to be picture perfect, and that includes our food. The brightest lemons, the most beautiful and shiny apples, that smooth and round potato, if it's deformed or misshapen-it's thrown away. And unfortunately because of our food vanity, this is what farmers have had to do for years. Throw away perfectly good food because they know people just won't buy it. Plus grocery stores won’t stock it.
But no more.
Stores like Loblaws are starting to change all that with their line called "Naturally Imperfect."
The best part? It's SOLD AT A DISCOUNT.
Let me be clear: There is nothing wrong with these fruits and vegetables...they're just not...perfect. They may not be the perfect colour, or the perfect shape, but it's what's inside that counts, right? The ugly ducking of food is coming to your grocery store...and you should be buying it.
And honestly, WHO CARES? Especially if you're about to chop it up and throw it in your dinner!
Buying ugly food is great for many reasons. First, you're saving money. That's a BIG bonus when your family goes through an amazing amount of fruit and vegetables.
Second, the farmers get a bigger cut. And they deserve it. Because they work harder than any of us, and we depend on them for FOOD. So we should be supporting them whenever and however we can.
Third, less food waste. Although the farmer's typically use this food to feed their animals or put it back into the soil, it's still perfectly good food that is being tossed aside. And that just shouldn't be happening because of how food LOOKS.
We should be focusing on nutrition. Plain and simple. That is what should matter when it comes to buying our food. And now is the time.
Go to your local farmer's market and buy in season and local fruits and veggies while they are at their peak! This is how food should taste!
So I bought some ugly fruit and I made this delicious (and nutritious) crumble. Call it what you want, it’s sweet and kind on the inside. And to me, that’s all that matters.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Grease an 8x8 baking pan and set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix together rolled oats, oat flour, ground pecans, flax seed, almond oil and maple syrup. Set aside. Oat flour is just ground up oats.
Place chopped fruit in a bowl.
Add coconut sugar, arrowroot flour and salt. Toss.
Add to baking dish.
Top with oat mixture.
Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly and starting to brown.
The perfect summer dessert, ugly or not. No one will know. But the most important thing...is no one will care. Enjoy!
Image Source: endfoodwaste.org
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