A Farmers’ Market Story
I was visiting Hollywood Beach, Florida. While walking on the boardwalk, I discovered
Josh’s Organic Market and Juice Bar. After a totally refreshing, mostly green vegetable juice, I started to look around at the vegetables themselves. They were glowing in colorful delight and something seemed a little strange. The washed out shades of veggie colors from my supermarket shopping habits were nowhere to be found. I noticed a sign that said, “Picked Within 24 Hours.”
Josh, busily scurrying about, offered me a taste of a few things. The celery was deep dark green, thin yet strong, and so full of flavor. The thought of putting a dressing or something on top of it seemed preposterous. Next was spinach, which was curly from edge to center with a yummy, rich, long, lingering flavor.
Where the heck was I? Well, wherever I was, I was happy. The smile on my face had me running around to strangers saying, “You gotta try this, you gotta try this!”
The locals there were lucky enough to have this available every Sunday. The song that comes to mind is, “Tradition” from Fiddler on the Roof. At this moment, it’s playing in my head as… Nutrition!
I was eating food full of nutrition. What a novel idea! It was full of life from the inside out. Josh used a foliar (leaf) spray that was seaweed based to infuse precious minerals into the produce and to support an amplification of what was naturally there. It really made me think; the closer to the source you can eat a whole food, the better it is for you.
We used to do this all the time, but in the last several generations, we’ve become more and more disconnected from our food (along with many other things in life). It reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw recently that said, “Organic food, or as your grandparents called it, food.”
Genetic modification of foods and factory farming has become mainstream and I’m guessing it hasn’t helped with the vitality and nutritional value in food overall. So, this is what I’m thinking for buying produce…
- Supermarkets: They’re convenient, but offer the lowest nutritional value
- Organic Markets/Health Food Stores: Better, but you still lose nutrition getting the food from the farm, to packaging place, to the store, to you, and then home
- Farmer’s Markets: Really good! Produce is full of nutrition, recently harvested, mostly from small farms instead of industrial factory farming, more heirloom options, and local (hasn’t had to travel long distances so less overall world energy used)
- Backyard Garden: Great! I’m planting my first garden in years, this year. It will be small – just a start, and I’m already excited about doing more. I recently attended a Biodynamic® farming course at the Rudolf Steiner College near Sacramento, CA that I recommend highly.
These days I’m lucky enough to live in a town where I can go to the local farmer’s market every Tuesday. Over half my produce for the week comes from there, plus I’m getting to know the farmers themselves. I’m making new friends, seeing old ones, and feeling really good, supporting something important. We’ll be offering videos on the website, so you can hear directly from some of those farmers in their own words.
PS: the photo came from the Farmers Market in Healdsburg, CA (Saturday mornings). My hometown in Ashland, OR, has a great one if you’re passing through (Tuesdays from 8:30-1 at the Old Historic Armory on East Main St.). If you don’t have one around you, a great option is to go on-line connect into a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). If you’re in Hollywood Beach, FL… I’m jealous.
In the wine world, vitality gets amped way up through a Biodynamic® approach. Read the article “Finding Biodynamics” for more.
Cheers to conscious, vital choices… in all their forms!
Thank you for your help!