It’s easy to become outraged, as I did Monday, about a global food system in which individual farmers are anonymous cogs in a system controlled by huge international corporations. I can talk about not buying any more ginger, but what does that really accomplish?
The fact of the matter is that I am hooked on the global food system. I like my California strawberries and Argentinian blueberries and New Zealand apples in winter, and my Costa Rican bananas and Guatamalan mangoes year-round. I have no idea where the almonds in my almond butter or the cashews I enjoy come from.
Yet I think I need to avoid getting totally down on myself about this. Henwhisper has a great idea—that I should grow my own ginger. And probably other things as well. We need to be open to simple alternatives for improving self sufficiency. Maybe some chickens around the yard?
Beyond that, the fact that rapidly increasing numbers of individuals are trying to purchase directly from local farmers has to be worth something. The better financial base local farmers have, the more difficult it will be for the forces of food globalization, and the coming National Animal Identification System (NAIS), to steamroller them. And this trend has contributed to the new term Linda Diane Feldt alerts us to (which I hadn’t heard before)–locavore.
As Steve Atkinson points out, there is no substitute for personal experience. Favorable personal experiences lead to positive word-of-mouth, which lead to more positive personal experiences.
It’s also encouraging to learn from milkfarmer, elderberryjam, and Steve Bemis that both Ohio and Michigan have experienced regulatory turnarounds, and greater official tolerance of raw milk. Elderberryjam’s account of how she seeks to spread the word and correct errors about raw milk is instructive, and inspiring.
Personally, I try to answer erroneous or confused assumptions as much as I can, but I’m going to try to be more diligent from now on. For example, in several places that posted my Nation article, readers wondered, quite logically: Well, why shouldn’t Greg Niewendorp have his animals tested? I didn’t explain that point real well in the article, because there are several answers that are each kind of complicated. Among the reasons: Greg didn’t want his animals injected with the testing substance, potentially contaminating his beef; he felt the testing program is a government boondoggle; he resents the government’s unwillingness to examine other ways of countering bovine TB, such as through improved mineral supplementation of cattle; and most of all, he resents the government’s intrusion into his private relationships with customers.
The reality is that most people want the freedom to purchase whole foods like raw milk and grass-fed beef, even if many individuals don’t take advantage of the freedom. In the end, after much pain in Michigan and Ohio, the combination of discussion, lobbying, and publicity had a favorable impact, and made everyone more open to compromise and respect.
For those accomplishments, and much more, we should be thankful.
While growing some ginger wont supply you with an annual supply (especially if you use it like you should), having some that you produce can get you through times where your local, or preferred source is dry. Contingency plans can be beneficial.
There is much to be thankful for this holiday. There are gains being made here and there in the struggle for food choice. Exposure to the ideal of knowing your food and knowing your farmer is growing. Many more today are enjoying the fruits of small local farmers, and the security and health of their food supply is stronger than a year ago. We are trending in the right way. More to be done, but much to be thankful for.
It takes two to allow this direct local commerce to thrive, and the gratitude consumers have for their producers, is only rivaled by the gratitude the farmer has for his customers. One plus one can equal so much more than two, if you plug it into the right equation.
Happy Thanksgiving all, may we accord special reverence for the blessings we have this Turkeyday.
Growing your own ginger is a start, but go on with the Edible Landscaping concept. Blueberry bushes are a great landscaping shrub: pretty blossoms in spring, wonderful berries in the summer, beautiful red foliage in the fall. And blueberries are even easier to freeze: plop on a cookie sheet and ZipLoc ’em when hard. You can freeze blueberries even if you live in an apartment… just freeze plenty of local blueberries when they’re at their best.
As for other exotic fruits, perhaps it’s time to return to eating things in their season… not only to avoid wasting thousands of gas miles for year-round transport, but also to bring back anticipation. When oranges used to be a winter-time specialty, I remember looking forward to being able to eat them again. Now that they’ve been available year-round for decades, oranges are no longer special. I actually eat fewer now.
Check out Barbara Kingsolver’s inspiring new book, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life": http://www.amazon.com/Animal-Vegetable-Miracle-Year-Food/dp/0060852550/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195663313&sr=8-1
No, I’m not suggesting we all should live like they did, but it wouldn’t hurt to incorporate more of that lifestyle in our own… we should all attempt to be locavores.
I wish everyone a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. Enjoy your bounty.