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LocalHarvest Newsletter - Changing with the Times

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the LocalHarvest Store:

 

 

 

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!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proudly introducing

 

 

 

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...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nancy's Nutrition Corner - Ginger, A Remedy from the Kitchen Cupboard

 

 

 

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...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recipe Corner: Ginger - By Lorna Sass

 

 

 

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...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contact Information

 

 

 

email:

newsletter

 

 

web:

http://www.localharvest.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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