Viva zucchini!

Today, I had the pleasure of co-representing Lunar Rhythm Gardens at the Millbrook, Ontario's annual Zucchini Festival. We had the opportunity to not only enter in a few monster size zukes into The Great Big Zucchini Weight-In (we won second and third prize), but also to sell a bit of produce and network within the Millbrook area community. I, of course, had a blast. Markets and festivals can be incredibly fun and very important community events. Not only can you enjoy yourself, but the opportunity to make connections and learn new things is great. One of the things I like the most about these kinds of events, at least from a researcher's point of view, is to observe the relationship between vendors and customers. There is often more than an exchange of money. It is incredible the amount of knowledge that is passed - well the potential is there. Truly, it is up to the farmer/vendor to establish this kind of relationship, and honestly, I feel it is crucial not only to the sustainability of the vendor's business, but it is crucial to the sustainability of our future healthy societies. It is through these simple interactions that people learn about food, the nutritional and historical values of these foods, how to cook them, and what the difference is between a local, organic item and what appear to be similar items in grocery stores. On the flip side, farmers and vendors can learn from their customers and I've seen this time and time again. New recipes are passed on from clients, as well as likes and dislikes, personal growing experience, nevermind new ideas for marketing and connection-making. Such an important relationship and one that is just important to grow and nurture as our fruits and veggies.

Howling at the moon with the folks at Lunar Rhythm Gardens

If 2008 was about getting up close and personal with farmers' markets, 2009 was defined by finding my way into a close encounter of the agricultural kind through a farming internship. I think to truly understand food access and nutrition issues, you really have to get to the root (literally) of it all - you have to get your hands truly dirty and sow and grow. I spent some of the year looking for a place to lend a hand.

For one reason or another, none of the farms I contacted in BC worked out, but I have had some luck in Ontario. A few farms had been looking for folks to finish out the year's harvest with them in exchange for room and board, and I managed to get on with an inspiring new partnership called Lunar Rhythm Gardens (http://lunarrhythmgardens.wordpress.com/). The primary focus of this outfit is to establish a mutually profitable relationship between themselves (the farmers) and the community in the form of Community Shared Agriculture (CSA). In short, CSA promotes local food production and consumption when farmers sell "shares" of their yield to community members. Each week, members pick up their portion of what has been harvested by the farmers either at the farm itself or a specified location. In addition, the farm can organize events such as an afternoon weed and feed (a little work and then a potluck) - members get to know their farmers and other community members.

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I've been here a few days now and am in deep. I'm working and learning. I've been to market to sell - very interesting being on the other side of the table after my work last year helping to set up, promote and run farmers' markets. I've also been weeding, cleaning, picking, loading, unloading, preparing food for the animals on the farm, clipping turkey wings... and of course, my vocabulary is expanding. I'm tired, but I'm having a great time.

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In addition to the million or so questions I've already bombarded these truly amazing farmers with, I have one for everyone out there. Why doesn't each child in our country get a chance to experience life on a farm as part of his or her education? It is so incredibly important to understand and appreciate where our food - our REAL food - comes from...