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.