10 Ways to Go Sustainable in '10

It's New Year's resolution time. What's yours? Lose ten pounds? Be nicer to your in-laws? Stop driving in the lane that's about to close to get ahead of a bunch of suckers before you're forced to merge? (You know who you are. Jerk.)

Well, anyway, I've got an idea! How about resolving to get more sustainable in your eating this year?

The options for improvement are many, ranging from getting your hands dirty to tapping a few buttons on your cell phone. There's sure to be something for everyone in this list of 10 ways to get more sustainable in 2010. Read on to discover what you can do to make good on a sustainable-food resolution ...

• Visit the farmers market. Venture out once a week or even once a month. The vendors are friendly, the food picturesque and the economy local. Find the options near you on Local Harvest.
• Join a CSA. You pay up front and then a box of veggies arrives regularly all summer as if by magic. Just be aware that you'll probably have more leafy greens that you can shake a stick at.
• Start a garden. Here's the pinnacle of eating local. This clearly isn't an option for everyone, but with urban farming growing in popularity, you can probably find some place near you to hoe your row.
• Learn to can. Now that you've grown more tomatoes than you can possibly eat or bought a whole flat of summer strawberries on a whim, storing them properly for the winter is a great way to keep your local eating going long past harvest season. If canning is too daunting, try freezing your bounty or making jam.
• Eat less meat. Nothing says high-impact like a big, old steak, so if you want to step less heavily on the planet, dial down your inner carnivore. Use meat as a side or a topping and concentrate on animals less intensive to produce. Goose, I've been told, is the most efficient meat-producer.
• Do a meat-share with friends. Buying direct from the farmer can be a great option if you have friends to split the purchase with. You either need a lot of friends or a big freezer. Of course in life it never hurts to have both.
• Seek out seasonal recipes. Avoid asparagus in September and broccoli in May. Check out what's in season near you on Epicurious' seasonal ingredient map.
• Buy frozen fish. One of the lowest-impact ways to eat fish caught far away is to buy it frozen. If you happen to live next to the ocean and can access its bounty directly, forget this advice. But if you're in Maryland purchasing Alaskan salmon, think about the freezer aisle.
• Text FishPhone. Blue Ocean Institute's FishPhone service will tell you whether the fish you're thinking of buying is a sustainable pick. Text the word FISH and the name of the fish you want to buy to the number 30644, and you'll get back a message giving you thumbs-up or -down.
• Forage. Food is growing all around us. If only we had eyes to see it. Pick fruit from trees overhanging public spaces, seek mushrooms and other edible plants in local woods (only if you know how to avoid poisoning yourself) or, if you're brave, try dumpster diving, also known as "urban foraging."

The great thing about changing the way you eat is that you have full control. While various other plans might be hindered by circumstances you have no say in, such as the dreaded office party that ruins your resolution to lose 10 pounds or the witch-on-wheels mother-in-law who scuttles your determination to be nicer to your in-laws, no one else can be in your kitchen unless you let them.

Build your 2010 on a welcoming attitude toward sustainable food and you're sure to have a good year. Happy New Year!

Photo courtesy of stock.xchng