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LocalHarvest Newsletter, June 23, 2008
Welcome back to the LocalHarvest newsletter. What a month! Things are
different. You feel it too, right? With gas prices soaring, Iowa flooding,
salmonella striking tomatoes, and a global food crisis threatening, it seems to
us that America is finally, slowly waking up. The world is not what it seemed
to be. Change feels inevitable in ways it didn't even a few months ago. The
question now is not so much whether the collective we is going to change, but
how - with what frame of mind. As we alter our consumption patterns, food and
otherwise, we must be aware of how we approach change. We can be anxious or
relaxed, defensive or curious, fearful or joyful. The differences are vast and
vital.
Many of us live lives that are overly determined by convenience. Day to day
decisions are made as if expediency and ease were our highest values. So
habituated are we to these conveniences, so dependent on our luxuries
(chocolate, coffee,
bananas),
that the idea of going without them actually makes us feel afraid. But fear - of scarcity, of change - is a terrible master.
It makes us forget our own creativity and adaptability. We mistake the way it
is for the way it has to be.
In that mindset, there is no way to discover something that might be better.
Last month LocalHarvest was featured on a radio program out of Sacramento. The
host started with the usual questions about how to define 'local' and how the
website works. Once the conversation turned to actually buying local food,
though, it became personal and he was stumped. Northern California offers
astounding agricultural abundance, but this fellow could not see his way to
buying this extraordinary produce directly from a farmer. He was used to
shopping at Safeway, and the idea of deviating from the safe way (ironic, isn’t
it?) made him tense. Shopping at a farmers market requires too much trust, he
said, plus it's an extra trip and the veggies would sit in the frig drawer and
rot anyway. Hmmm...
That interview stands out as an example of the kind of thinking we as a nation
need to leave behind. If we greet every new idea with excuses that aim to
defend our old ways, we will be lost. The future belongs to those who can walk
lightly, willing to shift as needed, alert for the next ingenuity. If we let
ourselves be afraid of this rapidly changing economy, it would be easy to lose
site of the great beauty and new opportunities that surround us. If we keep
ourselves relaxed and open, we will find ourselves reveling in the great gifts
of this life: the beauty of nature, the comforting joy of friendship, the spark
of creativity, and the civility of true community. And then we will be
fearless.
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From the LocalHarvest Store:
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Lavender lovers, your time of year is drawing near! The lavender harvest is
nearly upon us, and our farmers say it is going to be a bumper crop. Browse
through our
lavender department
for
lavender buds
(a popular wedding toss),
dried bunches,
essential oil
and more. Ahhh...
Going to a wedding this summer? A LocalHarvest
gift certificate
makes the perfect gift!
Want to make your summer salads even more nutritious? Sprinkle on some freshly
ground
flax seed,
and get your Omega-3s along with your greens!
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Proudly introducing
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A new member of the LocalHarvest family was born this month. With great delight, we welcome Joaquin Alfredo Payet, firstborn of LocalHarvest's founder,
Guillermo Payet and wife Amber. The proud mama and papa are soaking it all in, and wondering aloud what Baby J's first foods will one day be...
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Nancy's Nutrition Corner: Ginger, A Remedy from the Kitchen Cupboard
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To me, there is something so satisfying about going into the kitchen and
concocting a simple remedy for myself from food. It just seems so right to
reach for a plant and make a tea to soothe an upset tummy. One of my first
experiences with using food as medicine was with ginger. I was listening to the
radio and heard a well known herbalist talking about making a ginger and garlic
tea for sore-throats. I tried it and had such great results that I use this
remedy to this day. Since then, I have come to realize that ginger has many
more uses, and is a great thing to have hanging around in the kitchen for both
culinary and medicinal purposes.
(Read on...)
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Recipe Corner: Ginger - By Lorna Sass
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In its many forms, ginger is a staple in my kitchen. The fresh, knobby rhizome
sits right next to the garlic and onions in a painted bowl on my kitchen
counter. Recently, I bought such a large piece that before I got to use it,
one "finger" began to sprout. I cut it off, planted it in good, organic soil,
and am happily (and patiently) watching it grow.
(Recipes and More...)
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As always, thanks for your interest in and support of LocalHarvest.org! See you next month, and until then, take good care and eat well!
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