Looked Eye to Eye

Going Green, Going Local, Going Organic, Going Crazy, Going Around in Circles. I’m hearing and seeing these words and phrases more often it seems. To be honest I like these ideas. (well not the Going Crazy, and Going Around in Circles…those are just the funny counterpoints I thought would temper the tone of that opening sentence. Did it work?)
I’m going to lump those values into the grand category of “Going Sustainable.” As the verbiage suggests, we are not necessarily there yet, but we are “going” there. I use "sustainable" to define actions worthy and capable of being maintained for "a good long while." I think these trends and fads are worthwhile experiences. Why not “Go” in a different direction from time to time? You know, just to see if it works. I don’t mean to be political here, (I’m too hypocritical for that) but I do mean to lend a voice of experience, however minor my experience might be.

I‘ve raised a modest bed of vegetables for three years now. It’s a hobby, it’s an outdoor activity I enjoy, it brings good food to my table, and it brings me immense pride from time to time. Yes it also brings some back pain, sunburn, bug bites, dirty fingernails, occasional frustration, and it demands extra time when I don’t have it. But it seems to be working so far, so I plan to keep going. It makes me want to support those around me who are committing their lives to providing good food for us.

We drove north for 20 miles on Saturday to the rolling, tree lined pastures of Baldwin Family Farms. We do this periodically to restock on beef. Yes, in addition to my veggies, we like the taste of beef. We like it even better when we know how it is raised. On this visit, we met Mr. V. Mac who hand picked our chosen cuts. In the process, he described, with earnest pride and unpretentious confidence, the history and lives of his cattle…of our food. We thanked him. We trusted him. In a global economy, the producer-consumer relationship is seldom sealed with a handshake. Trust is rarely tangible. As we headed home, we stopped along the fenceline, and scanned the green acres… looked eye to eye with our sustenance.

Later that evening we cooked and shared a meal of local foods with close friends.
I hope to maintain these actions for a good, long while.