MY GOAL is to be a YOKEL!
Ummmm, a LOCAL YOKEL THAT IS!!!
After experiencing multiple near-fainting experiences at
the check-out line of our local co-op, I decided to try to find a way to buy
fresh, local produce straight from the farmer. This, I imagined, had to be
cheaper and better for me than buying organic produce from Mexico.
Also, I wasn't crazy about buying shipped in food from
said country. Every time I picked up a high priced vegetable labeled
"organic" from Mexico I hesitated, wondering - "Isn't that an
oxymoron? Organic? From Mexico? You can't drink the water but you can eat the
vegetables grown with that questionable water?" Sometimes, I'd put the
vegetable back, other times, in desperation, I'd buy it. "Geez," I
thought. There's got to be a better way. There is. After seeing a Facebook post
from my friend and former neighbors Macon and Luke Costlow on the joys of being
a CSA member, I decided to take the plunge.
I googled organic csa farms and found one near Brevard.
Cool. I can go for a hike on the day that I go pick up my veggies. So I joined
the group near Brevard, but quickly realized that it would eat up my day as
well as my gas to have to drive out there and back every Wednesday. The notion
of driving out to the country to hike and get my veggies sounded romantic at
first, but after just one trip, I changed my mind.
Back to the drawing board. Could there possibly be one in
Hendersonville? Hmmm. I picked up a copy of the local food guide magazine
"ASAP" and found a farm that uses organic practices - (they are not
labeled "certified organic", but they do not use harmful chemicals in
the production of their food) right here in Hendersonville. I'd already paid
good, non-refundable money to the Brevard farm, so I'll have to wait till
spring to switch to Blue Meadow Farms, located "just down the road"
from me.
Blue Meadow Farms in Hendersonville uses organic
practices - and in my mind are the VERY best foods you can eat - local, foods
grown without chemicals - is like eating local honey, these foods are designed
to support your immune system. :0)
Besides all the obvious reasons of freshness,
conservation of fuel (it costs a lot of gas to get veggies here from Holland or
California!) and supporting your local economy/farmers, there are some serious
health benefits to consider.
It has been said that we can benefit by cultivating an
internal microbiome that corresponds with our external environment. If you are
living in, for example New York City, amongst the native pollens, mites and
microbiota of that area, but consuming foods shipped in from Mexico, Florida
and China, your internal system won’t be in harmony with your external
environment. You might have heard the idea that eating raw local honey is like
an inoculation against seasonal allergies. This theory carries on from that
concept.
In addition, seasonal produce that has been allowed to ripen in the sun, harvested, purchased and consumed quickly is left with more antioxidants and beneficial phytonutrients than those that took 3 or 4 weeks to cross a continent before they got on your plate. These nutrient-dense farm-to-plate foods support robust health and immunity, much more so than those that are picked early, treated with gases and then coated with wax to keep them ‘fresh’ while they are shipped.
In addition, seasonal produce that has been allowed to ripen in the sun, harvested, purchased and consumed quickly is left with more antioxidants and beneficial phytonutrients than those that took 3 or 4 weeks to cross a continent before they got on your plate. These nutrient-dense farm-to-plate foods support robust health and immunity, much more so than those that are picked early, treated with gases and then coated with wax to keep them ‘fresh’ while they are shipped.
BE a LOCAL YOKEL!!! :0)
