Creek garden at Lost Valley Educational Center, Dexter, Oregon
Revolutions come in odd packages. Tonight I read an article on Truthout.org about the missionary zeal of a farmer who raises animals as food for sale in a community supported agriculture system in Virginia. His clients don’t sound at all bohemian, but they speak earnestly of making a difference by buying their food from a local farmer who uses sustainable farming methods rather than buying from multi-national corporations, particularly Wal-Mart. The farmer sees his CSA as part of an international movement to take back the production of food from big industrial agriculture.
Considering massive moves on the part of chemical giant Monsanto to control agriculture worldwide, this is good news indeed. I recommend a film The Future of Food, by Deborah Koons Garcia, and a book, Seeds of Deception, by Jeffrey M. Smith, for well-presented information on the genetic engineering of crops.
CSA farms are often easy to find if you live in a rural community. During my years on Maui I subscribed to two of them. In cities, small farms offering subscriptions may be hours away, and farmers’ markets are the next best thing. The farmers pride themselves in offering produce grown from heirloom seeds, foods unlikely to be found in chain supermarkets, even Whole Foods.
For my first posting on CSA, click here.
Heirloom tomatoes at a farmers’ market in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Alicia Bay Laurel 