There's a Cucumber on Line One from CA That Says He Knows You

I don't get as preachy as I'd like to when I blog. I'm not a cutting edge researcher, but I have been following a few things for many years (and have a few restraining orders as a result). I truly believe that the health of this planet is not to be taken lightly. I believed that before the amazing Al Gore one thosuand upped GW with his nobel peace prize for his Inconvenient Truth media.

It's not convenient I suppose for each of us to grow our own gardens in our own clay pots on the deck all year long. But we can take strides to make things a bit better, causing a bit less Supply & Demand from the wrong folks.

I'm new to the Farmer's Market deal. I've simply been buying organic for zillion years at the grocery store. Organic from CA, organic from NC, organic from Chiron. That's good. That's better than buying standarized, bastarized food that I feel sorry for because its been brought up all wrong. It's exactly like this century would expect it to be if it were in an overachieving family - hurry hurry hurry!!!! The Mad Hatter is coming for lunch!!! You don't have TIME to grow! You don't have TIME to ripen - just become big enough to activate the scale into thinking you are at least BIG enough to market. Our food is drugged like our ADD, ADHD, depressed, society of kids. When did kids start becoming so Depressed? I'm not bashing it but I don't remember having depressed friends when I was little. If you got depressed while riding your bike, you flew into a bush and laughed it off. I might remember one or two Eeyores the whole enitre time and that would be because some of us were assh*les and teased them as they tried to steer the rest of us through their difficult, acne-nic (is that a word?), booby blooming, voice changing puberty.

Our food is depressed. Nobody cares about the soil and what's in it as long as someone will buy what comes out of it. Most of these factory type farms do not rotate crops in the soil in order to give the soil a break and let it get its bearings back before birthing another phyto-miracle for all to enjoy. The soil is empty. And in most cases, our food is being flown, unripened from places that are much too far to be spending gas on. Our food is tired, like the soil it has been grown in. People complain that its bland tasting. Robotic food - no feeling, no coddling, make it pretty and get it out the door.

The following is from a newsletter that comes from one of the owners, Nancy, of a local healthfood store around here:

What really goes on to get those raspberries to the produce shelves in February, and what ethical choices are made? We all know that raspberries do not grow fresh in CT in February. Driscoll ships them from wherever they are grown. This means that this little box of raspberries you have bought must go on a plane which will put out large amounts of greenhouse gases to get to you.

It is only industrial agribusiness that can produce the volume which can afford the energy costs. This means that production is the bottom line and thie necessitates the use of large amounts of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to guarantee profitable yields. They ahve to be shipped unripe to insure stability during shipping.

Eating seasonally is very important for our own health. We aren't meant to eat certain foods out of season.

I read Nancy's info as I was cutting up CT grown bananas for our gluten free banana pancakes. I have about three banana trees in the corner of my kitchen. Not so much. But I get her point. I won't try to back up everything she says here because we can all play devil's advocate and get our say in just to have something to stand with on the opposing side. We need to go with what we know and feel is right in many situations. At this point in our progression, a little regression is needed without losing the powerhouse inventions that really do matter. We have to pick our battles as well or else we wouldn't be eating anything in CT during February except Hershey bars with Valentine's wrappers on them.

From going to our local farmer's market while we can, it's been fun for Humanling and I to see the people who have a hand in feeding us. It feels better handing my hard-earned-from-a-pharmaceutical-company cash over to these people for the summer than spending it at a store. The food has been picked *moments* ago, so it had a chance to ripen Just Now. Not rushed, not hurried, just picked because it was ready to be.





I have found that I am more apt to actually cook what I've purchased and not waste it when we have bought it locally as well. I would feel like a giant jack ass driving somewhere, choosing food and buying it just to bring it home and have it turn to black liquid in a plastic bag in the fridge. Not that it's happened to me personally, of course. But if it had happened to me in the past, it would probably happen moreso when being disconected from the source and purchasing food while standing under bright lights and basking in the smell of gag, near the cheese island, to the right of the deli counter.









Because I feel so strongly about fixing as best as we can what people have done to this planet in the last 50-100 years, I am going to reiterate by posting information from Dr. Mercola, who I've been reading for years. Another driving factor for me is also the other living things that inhabit this planet who have to suffer because of our advancements. Do we really need to cut down more tree growth for another condo complex or Best Buy? Where do these animals go when their homes are destroyed? The deer cross the road to try to forage for food or shelter and are resented because they destroy people's polished once a week vehicles and make absentminded driving over 20 mph dangerous.

I'd love to also go into the dangers of Genetically Modified Foods but I'll save that for another post. Just be aware that its the rattle in the closet that is eventually going to burst out all over everything. It's not a good thing and it's not a neat clean up. Use your local farms and ask them if they are organic or GMO. Chances are, they may be GMO free, but not organic, which is still much more preferable than the tomato with air miles and a passport.


Find your own reasons to support sustainability, even if you just like saying the word Sustainability. It's the action that helps. Here comes Dr. Mercola -







Although I frequently discuss the stronghold big business has on the U.S. food system, I don’t want that to overpower the more important message: Change is inevitable. Somewhat reminds me of one of my all-time favorite quotes from Arthur Shoepenhaur.He said all truths go through three phases:
First it is ridiculed
Then it is violently opposed
Then widely accepted as self evident.







This is particularly true as increasing numbers of people are saying enough is enough. We are tired of low-quality, tainted foods, and now we are demanding something better: fresh foods grown on small farms, from people we can meet and talk to. And the food system is responding; as one Japanese proverb says, the bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists. Some great examples that the tide is beginning to turn?
In the past six years, the number of small farms has increased by 20 percent, to 1.2 million
Farmers’ markets grew 50 percent from 2001 to 2006, to nearly 4,700 farms (and $1 billion in sales).
According to the most recent Farm Bill, small farmers can get up to 75 percent of their organic certification costs reimbursed, and some can also get crop insurance. Money has also been set aside to research organic foods and promote farmers’ markets.
1,200 U.S. school districts have committed to buying fresh vegetables and fruits from local farms.
The number of farms with community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs in the U.S. grew from just 400 in 2000 to over 1,800 in 2008.As I write this, I simply cannot keep from smiling. This is a clear sign of what happens when people start demanding changes for the better: when enough attitudes shift, the fabric of society follows.However -- We’re Not Out of the Woods Just YetThere’s no denying that good things are happening, but there is still a long way to go. Case in point, although the Farm Bill set aside $2.3 billion to subsidize small farmers’ specialty crops, it gave $290 billion to big business in the form of corn, soybean and cotton subsidies. Meanwhile, major supermarkets still dominate the food market. Even Whole Foods only buys from four local farmers at each of its stores. And in summer months, only 30 percent of the produce in your average Whole Foods store is grown locally. Meanwhile, New York Times author Michael Pollan wrote an excellent article about Why Our Food Supply is Crumbling, and I strongly encourage you to read it. Despite the surge in small farms, well over 50 percent of the food you eat is still produced by factory-farming methods that threaten both your health and the environment.The solution? Support local and sustainable food growers as much as possible.Where to Find Healthy, Locally Grown FoodNow that summer is almost here in the United States, fresh produce is available in abundance. Not only is the food so much tastier and healthier, but there is something about shopping for fresh foods in an open-air, social environment that just feels right. An artificially lit, dreary supermarket just can’t compete.And there really is something to this new “locavore” movement. According to research by the Economic and Social Research Council, people who participated in alternative food networks such as the ones I’ve listed below, typically:
Increased their consumption of fruits and vegetables
Improved their cooking skills
Improved their knowledge about food
Changed their behaviors in relation to other goods, such as household products and clothesIf you want to experience some of these benefits first-hand, here are some great resources to obtain wholesome food that supports not only you but also the environment:
1. Alternative Farming Systems Information Center, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)2. Farmers' Markets -- A national listing of farmers' markets.3. Local Harvest -- This Web site will help you find farmers' markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area where you can buy produce, grass-fed meats, and many other goodies.4. Eat Well Guide: Wholesome Food from Healthy Animals -- The Eat Well Guide is a free online directory of sustainably raised meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs from farms, stores, restaurants, inns, and hotels, and online outlets in the United States and Canada.5. Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) -- CISA is dedicated to sustaining agriculture and promoting the products of small farms.6. FoodRoutes -- The FoodRoutes “Find Good Food” map can help you connect with local farmers to find the freshest, tastiest food possible. On their interactive map, you can find a listing for local farmers, CSA's, and markets near you.