Our Farmer's Market opened this Tuesday. There were many folks with herbs and plants to sell from their greenhouses and gardens. The Goat Cheese lady brought her baby goats for the children to pet. The bread lady, that everyone loves, sold out, as she usually does, before closing. The meat lady has added fruit trees to her inventory of offerings. The homemade ice cream man found his same spot that he had last year.
What is a Farmer's Market? Here, people chat with one another and meet the producers and chat some more. They chat about their problems, and their interests. The Farmer's Market is a place to get to know the people that make and grow the food we eat. I wish there was a measure for this part, for it should be included on the ingredient list. If it's not on the list, then the food isn't as potent or charged with a human-interaction factor.
My most popular medicinal teas were "Sleep Without Sheep" and my Migraine Reliever tea: "Get-it-out-of-your-Mind". Who would know? It seems like there is a lot of anxiety, restlessness and extreme distress from migraines. Such a challenging time. Our lives shouldn't do this to ourselves.
The Holden Farmer's Market is a very small market. There are regulars, though. They show up on the first day and every day until it closes; about 26 weeks from now. There are newcomers, of course, too.
I'll be there every Tuesday until the end of October when it closes. I'll be chatting with the regulars and the newcomers. I'll be getting to know the people that stroll by. I know my conversation and my well-intended smile will become an ingredient in the products they buy. I believe, it changes the potency.
It works- that is, when it includes the human-interaction factor. It works when you know who has made it, who has crafted it, when, how and why it was made. This variable in the research hasn't been tested. I believe we need to have a relationship with the people that feed us and nourish us in order for the foods and herbs that we use will work for us at their optimal best.
While it may be trendy to "buy local", I believe, there is something more happening when we do buy local, because we're doing it. We are making an effort to do so. We join CSA's. We aren't stupid. And, enough is enough. We don't want chemicalized food. If big business isn't going to look out for us (and they never have and never will) then WE must. We must.
Message here?
Get to know your local producers. Get to know your local Farmer's Market vendors. Buy local. Eat local foods. Know your ingredients. Know that they hidden ingredient in all great food is knowing the farmer that grew it for you.
Our lives depend on it.
