Sorry I've been absent for a few days. I've just returned back from both a work and play trip in Kentucky. Sometimes it's nice for people to not know where you are or where you're going at all times.
I was really looking forward to this trip so that I could get a chance to experiment and research organic versus industrial a bit more away from New York and be closer to the source of food I was raised on.
As I arrived to my dad's house he asked me what I wanted to eat. He told me there was a lot available in the garden so he gave me a tour of what was growing out back. He wasn't kidding. Endless amounts of tomatoes, squashes of all kinds, zucchini, grapes, varieties of herbs, melons....in fact this photo is of my dad after just plucking a watermelon right from the garden. He's a bit shy here. It ended up being the sweetest, juiciest melon I've had in a looooong time.
It was so nice to have access to the freshest produce 24/7. Nothing beats waking up in the morning and gathering raspberries to go with my yogurt! I was in heaven.
Then I realized I still needed my dairy and eggs so we went off to the grocery store. There was VERY little that was organic at the markets and what was there was TWICE and THREE times the price! No wonder people complain about the cost of organic! In addition a lot of the organic was vegan or bland stuff that has no real appeal or taste. No wonder people associate vegetarianism with organic!!! That's just wrong!
So one thing was for sure. Price and availability is an enormous problem in Kentucky (the last place I ever thought it would be). It made me feel really fortunate to live in New York City. The only financial relief consumers can take some comfort in is from the food salvage stores. My best friend Chris shops a lot of her organic from there. So instead of her pasta costing $4.00 at whole foods, it's .60 cents for the same brand at the salvage store. They carry a huge variety of organic products like Annie's organic pasta or Late July's cheese crackers. Who knew!
As I reflect I think about the fact that we grew our food a long time ago to supplement the food we really couldn't afford to buy. Now growing our own food seems to be a luxury. If my parents weren't retired there would be no way they could maintain a garden. Time is now the new luxury that most of us do not have.
If a lot of people put their time together in a community garden maybe we all could afford this luxury. Just thinking out loud. I know it's being done in coops around the country. This just has to somehow go viral. This would bring back community and also give parents and their kids something to share.
This sunday is World Kitchen Garden Day. New Yorkers will come prepared to garden and bring their own bowls, utensils, and a few bucks. The people sponsoring it are trying to get a garden in front of City Hall in New York. Interesting. I would prefer Central Park.
Anyway. I felt lucky to be in Kentucky and was thankful my family shared their garden with me. I probably ate 20 lbs of tomatoes while I was there!!! Wish you were there!
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