These days it’s easier being green
Garden Expert
Through the 1970s and ’80s, I learned organic gardening and finally became an author and lecturer on the topic. It was not a popular theme.
Organic gardeners were often met with cynicism and condescension. We were odd. We mostly persisted on our own or in small organizations, learning from Rodale Books, Organic Gardening magazine and some organic farmers.
But slowly the tide turned, and people came asking for help with organic gardening and eco-friendly landscaping. The word “green” became the marketing word of a new era. Nobody is more surprised than I am and so very relieved.
Last week, I saw the documentary “Food, Inc.,” which was directed by Robert Kenner and played to a packed house in Hamburg. The energy level and passion of the families who organized the event to present the film was palpable.
Local growers (cheese, eggs, meat, produce) had tables in the lobby, representing family farms and CSAs (community supported agriculture, which is about owning shares of a farm and buying produce or meat directly from the farmer). This is no fly-by-night movement any more.
Locavores united
Where does your food come from? For the past few decades, many people haven’t wanted—or felt they needed —to know. Folks were busy surviving, eating prepackaged meals and fast food that was easy. We didn’t know how a few powerful companies had come to control our beef-packing and food-production facilities, how corn had come to rule. (It’s in most processed foods; nearly one-third of U. S. land is used to grow corn.)
But more conscientious buyers do want to know what’s in their food, and all the facts have pointed them toward growing food themselves or knowing who grew or raised it.
That’s why they have become “locavores”— those who eat organically produced food from as close to home as possible. Eating seasonally is also a thrust. We are seeing more people prepare stews and squash in November and waiting until June for strawberries.
These folks are shopping at farmers’ markets and supporting grocery stores that buy local and organic products. Organics is the fastest-growing food segment, expanding 20 percent annually.
Motivation
Way back, I became a vegetarian for humane reasons—having a glimpse of how animals were raised.
The new eaters want to “look their food in the face,” but health seems to be the primary motivator. They have made the connection between the growing and production conditions, the ingredients and health. They give me hope.
To learn more, see “Food, Inc.” or read Michael Pollan’s books: “The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals” (Penguin Group, $16) or “In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto” (Penguin Group, $15). Eric Schlosser’s “Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal” also is likely to modify your food choices.
Sally Cunningham is a garden writer, lecturer and consultant.
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