Does Anyone Really Know What Time It Is?

As I wander the sterile aisles of the neighborhood grocery I begin to wonder if maybe we’ve got this modernity thing all wrong. What if progress was measured not by the ability to fulfill our gastronomical whims, but instead gauged by the quality of the produce with which we nourish our bodies, and the sustainable practices that support our agricultural systems? What if we forgo asparagus in the winter shipped thousands of miles to arrive unseasonably on our plates, devoid of flavor and dearly priced, instead satiating our hunger with wintry greens? And does anyone even know what a wintry green looks like anymore?

Hand in hand with the desire to eat both locally and responsibly is the need to re-educate a populace that is suffering a disconnect with nature. Before learning to walk, nutritionally speaking, we could stand to crawl in the right direction. I don’t believe that it is such a stretch to imagine a society that has reverted back (or stepped forward depending on your outlook) to a locally sustained agricultural economy. I’m not advocating that every family have 40 acres and a milk cow, but a couple local farms supplemented by community gardens could go a long way towards making our way of life more sustainable.

There are definite benefits to adapting to a local, and therefore a more seasonal, diet. The likelihood that practices regarding how our food is raised will improve is undeniable. It is easy to turn a blind eye to “the Meatrix”, and other questionable standards of corporate agriculture, when the first time many of us come into contact with our food is when we pick it up from a grocery store. Contrast humanely run farms like Joel Salatin’s where part of the accountability stems from the fact that the people who buy his animals can and do check up on the farm. If our food is staring back at us we are much more likely to pay attention to how it is being raised. I believe our society at its core is not so much accepting of cruel and unhealthy methods of production as simply too lazy to educate ourselves. For surely if we comprehended what was going on we would desire change and seek to enact it.

The revolution has begun and there are many ways in which you can take part. Start small, figure out what is seasonable in your neck of the woods. You’ll probably be surprised to find that there is more there than you would expect. Focus on purchasing produce that is in season even if it is from a grocery store you are bound to notice a change in quality. (Even better find out about your local farmer’s market and make it a point to purchase as much of your produce as possible there.) Grow your own, the best way to know what goes into a plant or animal from start to finish is to be there for the entire process. It can be anything from an herb garden on a windowsill to a field of barley; the personal relationship with your food will make it all the more enjoyable. Michael Polan catalogues the emotions that come with preparing meals almost entirely out of ingredients that he has gathered. Food becomes less of a necessity and more of an experience, as rich in memories as in flavor and nutrients.

As a society we are beginning to hearken back to our roots. People are starting to remember what the first pear of fall tastes like, when picked fresh from a tree down the way. Becoming more connected with our food leads to a greater appreciation for the world that surrounds us, appreciation that leads to more responsible behavior regarding our environment. It is time for a change; deep down we sense it and are slowly moving in the right direction. Because in the end, when asked if anyone really cared, I think we all want to be able to say that we did and that we were not alone.