I stopped by a market today and after browsing the organic produce asked, for the millionth time, whether any of the produce was local. A resounding No. At least it’s organic, I thought reflecting on the good fortune we had in Michigan not only in having been surrounded by family farms, but also surrounded by innovation in farming. In Traverse City, we had a wonderful co-operative in a totally recycled, eco-friendly, green building; organic fruit farms, farmers’ markets, biodynamic farmers and permaculturalists, CSAs and plenty of space to roam. I hate to admit it, but I think we took it all for-granted.
Working on the farm, I had heard stories of people who didn’t know how their food was grown nor from where their food had come, but I didn’t understand how this type of ignorance was possible. I can now see how it’s possible in a place where you must drive two hours to see a farm and farther to see kind of innovation described earlier. It gives us an opportunity to be pioneers in this region – to bring what we’ve learned to a new group of people and to propagate more than seeds: IDEAS.
In the meantime, we’re still looking for a place to call home. I’ll keep you posted.
