i t s . t h e . l i t t l e . t h i n g s . a n d . t a c o s
Articles like THIS ONE make me happy:
I recently learned that one of our neighbors is at risk of losing his flower farm because its actually cheaper to farm AND fly the flowers in from South America, than it is to grow them across the street, on a beautiful San Diego hillside. The water is cheaper, the land is cheaper, and even paying the workers is cheaper. So Yes, what I am saying is, is its actually cheaper to import the flowers, than to grow them down the road.
His land is more valuable for developing a track home neighborhood, than farming.
Does that seem off to you?
Wouldnt it be rad if our goverment supported local farming? Giving more money to farmers, and say less to..hmm..WAR?
Or perhaps the government could start investing in organic farming or flower farming, as opposed to the 2 most heavily supported farming industries in the USA: Soy and Corn. Both of which hardly hold any nutritional value, but can be grown cheap, easily modified and incorporated into everything from tortilla chips, to fruit syrup. Veggie sausage, pasta, salad dressing, soda and crackers. And it doesnt stop there, soy & corn are in a lot of “healthy” snacks too. Check your label next time your at the store. You’ll be surprised.
Have we become so used to eating pre-pared, pre-packaged canned, modified, fortified, boxed up food that we dont even know what a carrot looks like? Anyhone else grow up on those “baby” carrots. I know I did! Maybe you’re eating one right now? Yeah, well…sorry to break it to you, but thats not how a carrot grows out in the wild. When did it become too hard to cut up a carrot? Maybe it was shaping the ends to be round, that threw us off.
This is the old equation: genetically modified + mass produced = feed more people, for less.
How bout this one: Organically grown + produced in small quanities, near communities = happy people, eating food that is actually good for them.
Investing in the quality of food = Investing in the quality of life.
The article above suggest just that. And while it might only be 1 little article, I have definitely noticed a shift in my community.
People are actually concerned about what they are putting into their bodies, and why. Food is no longer about following some diet, or getting the frozen chicken nuggets because they are on sale 2 for 1…Food is becoming more about trying to find, well…real food! Food that exists in its most natural state. To better nourish and provide for ourselves and our families.
Better food choices are available. RIGHT NOW!
I enjoy biking to the farmers market on Sunday, and supporting my local farmers. Theres nothing like feasting your eyes on produce that was just picked a couple hours ago, from a farm down the street. And knowing that the furthest it will have traveled is from the stand to my fridge, in my bike basket, makes me very happy.
If I can’t get to the farmers market, I go to the locally owned health food store. Or when I know I am going to be home for a couple weeks at a time, I sign up for a CSA (Community Sustainable Agriculture).
Contrary to popular belief, eating healthy, and organic, doesn’t cost that much more. Considering the fact: You are buying real food.
Its when you start buying the organic canned or dry food items, that things can start getting a little expensice. I went through that phase, thinking I needed all the substitute crackers, and cake mixes, and pastas….until I realized I didnt. I didnt want the filler. Now I like to think of those items as special occasion items, why buy a $7 canned organic pasta sauce, when you can make one for $2.
I can spend $20 at the farmers market for a weeks worth of fresh fruit and veggies, a locally made spread or dip, and a small portion of organic nuts or seeds. Sure it may not whip up a supersize portion of food, but i’ve come to learn that my body doesn’t require THAT much food in order to run smooth & efficiently. In fact, I feel like my body runs more smoothly on less food, eaten more times, throughout the day.
There is something to be said about grazing.
We are made up of energy after all, it would be hard to run out of it.
Our body on its own, is an lean, mean, energy making machine. A normal body does not require a ton of food, or extra energy, to keep it going…Unless you are training for a triathalon, or something like that.
Regardless, I love reading articles like the one above. It excites me. It suggest that the movement is in action, and we are one step closer.
Nourish the mind. Nourish the body. Nourish the world.
I can only hope I drink enough green shakes to reverse the side effects of all those Kids Cuisines frozen dinners I ate when my mom was at work. Or the Vienna Sausage I would eat with Cheez Whiz & Ritz Crackers at my grammas house! (Seriously?!) I didnt know any better, neither did my Mom.
As I get ready to transition into my new living space, I turned the old side yard into 2 huge planter boxes. I cannot wait to fill them up with strawberries, carrots, lettuce, kale, radish, and other seasonal goodies. Who knows, maybe one day, I’ll run a CSA of my own.
What I do know, is that nothing ever got done by sitting around telling someone else what they should be doing. Change comes from our participation in it.
Grown a garden. Seek out your local CSA. Support your local farmers market. If there isnt one? Create one. Research new recipes, start a cooking blog. Support your local market. Bike more. Drive less. Smile more. Be happy.
The future is ours.
TP
