Farm to Home

From the source...

to my kitchen, all before noon!

I count myself as one of the lucky ones. One of the lucky residents of a neighborhood where I can find several (yes, several!) sustainable urban farms all just a short bike ride away. This morning I pedaled over to Springdale Farm for their Wednesday market to load up on the beautiful tomatoes, cucumbers, basil and eggs. My own garden doesn’t thrive in the summer because of all the glorious shade. Believe me, I’m not complaining. My winter garden is where it’s at anyway. So, in the summer, I am lucky to have farms in the hood.

I grew up in farm country Iowa, and I believed that the city was too sophisticated to concern itself with such earthy endeavors as farming. But, wow, was I wrong. Cities that have seen better days are proving that sustainable urban agriculture is one of the more sophisticated, and maybe unexpected, solutions to a plethora of problems. Just look at Detroit!

This morning a group of young volunteers from Urban Roots, a truly inventive and inspiring program, was working at Springdale Farm. What better way for a kid to learn about where her food comes from or how his time could be spent helping to make a happier and healthier community? One of my first jobs was detasseling corn and walking beans for an enormous, albeit family-owned, seed company. I have always appreciated that experience. (Well, not exactly at the time, but at least since I moved away from home.) It was a rite of passage for many kids in the rural midwest. Wouldn't it be amazing if working on an urban farm for a summer became a rite of passage for city kids? A crop that would keep on growing well past the end of the season.