Growing Connections

As I mentioned in a previous post, I like the idea of eating local foods whenever possible. According to FoodRoutes, "fruits and vegetables shipped from elsewhere can spend as many as seven to fourteen days in transit before they arrive in the supermarket." Local produce is often healthier and more flavorful than road-weary produce. The more flavorful the produce, the more likely we are to eat it. Local foods also keep us conscious of the seasons, and of the capabilities of our native soil; eating local foods connects us to what is growing right outside our door. 

It is important to maintain a connection with our foods. In The Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan explains, "At either end of any food chain you find a biological system--a patch of soil, a human body--and the health of one is connected--literally--to the health of the other." Over the course of The Omnivore's Dilemma, Pollan explores three different means of food production. He begins with  McDonald's nuggets, made from corn-fed chickens that have been raised in "Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations" (CAFO's). He contrasts this with the tale of 'Rosie,' the organic, free-range chicken, and compares both food production types (industrial and organic/alternative), with his own hunter-gatherer model. This final approach finds him growing garden greens, foraging for morels, hunting a wild pig (after thoroughly examining his own conscience on the issue of eating animals), collecting cherries from a neighbor's tree, and scraping sea salt off the bottom of San Francisco Bay (though he decides against using the salt in his final meal, for obvious reasons). Pollan concludes:

How and what we eat determines to a great extent the use we make of the world--and what is to become of it. To eat with a fuller consciousness of all that is at stake might sound like a burden, but in practice few things in life can afford quite as much satisfaction.

Fortunately, we don't have to follow Pollan's pig-hunting, salt-scraping example in order to stay conscious of and connected with our foods. We can take smaller steps. In his recent New York Times article Why Bother?, Pollan gives his reasons behind engaging in environmentally-friendly eating pursuits, and suggests that one of his steps this year will be to keep a garden.

Gardening is a grand idea. It is a perfect way to connect to our food, and as Frugal Family Kitchen blogger Mary Webber points out, it's a good way to save money. In her blog, Mary (also known as Abby's friend Mimi) mentions several examples of gardening on a small scale, from container gardening to edible landscaping. I'm giving myself permission to stay small this year: tomatoes, basil and a few other herbs. Abby will be doing more extensive planting in Mimi's garden with her two friends, nicknamed Lulu and Yoshi (pictured here). I understand that Abby's favorite, Gerber daisies, are in the works.

For those who don't have a "Mimi Garden" nearby, another option is the community garden. Community gardens rent plots to individuals and families who might not otherwise have access to useable soil--or those who simply want to come to together with others to grow their food. Community gardening has been gaining momentum. According to the American Community Gardening Association, there are now more than 18,000 sites across the U.S. and Canada. To find one near you, visit their website.

Our family had a plot in the Yarmouth Community Garden for several years. We enjoyed raising lettuce and cauliflower alongside our neighbors and interacting with green-thumbed volunteers such as Marjorie (my oat eating friend). Our community garden also has a 'Children's Garden,' and coordinates donations of produce for those in need. I encourage those who live locally to give the Yarmouth Community Garden a try. (Want more information? They are holding an orientation meeting tonight--check their website for details.)

Those who are interested in Michael Pollan's views on eating ecology can listen to a short lecture (about 20 minutes) on the ted.com website, at http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/214. In this lecture (sent to me by my sister, Sarah), Pollan describes how plants may just be using us for their own devices, rather than the other way around. Fascinating. Talk about being connected to our food...