The count down is on and the challenge is near, but more and more I’m realizing it’s not a challenge so much as a change of pace. As a staunch introvert, I find a lot of peace working in my own garden but the process of finding local foods has little patience for that and I’ve been out on a treasure hunt the past week. The treasure I’m seeking? I thought it was the local fare, but I was wrong. It’s the people.
The world of sustainable food production is vastly different than the evening news would have you believe the “real world” is. It’s filled with like-minded, ecologically concerned people whose work involves both incredible effort and an underlying desire for quality in life. I’ve met a family that sows seeds seasonally, there are the first cousins of a friend of mine whose compassion and consideration for their dairy cows produce a more nutritious and flavorful product, the neighbors who have shared the fruits of their own land, there are the friendly workers and volunteers making the farmer’s markets happen, and, of course, the customers that support it all. Put them all together
, and they are my community.
I thought I’d share the pictures of what I’ve found in the world: colorful, healthy food, grown by people who haven’t forgotten the two major lessons we all learned in kindergarten: the first is to share–some people have shared the fruits of their labor, others have shared their story. The other lesson is “Do unto others”. Each person involved in bringing food from the farm to the table preserves a greater quality of living. And that, this shy thirty something woman in Matthews, NC is learning, is an invaluable lesson for life.
Originally written for and posted on the Carolina Farm Stewardship Assn.’s blog.
