June 2009 Archives

I recently attended an opening reception for Harry Boardman's exhibit, Greenhill and Beyond - Works Close to Home.  Everything about the evening reminded me of how special my town and the people in it are to me.  

Harry is a friend of mine and his exhibit is located at the Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center in East Greenville, PA.  The Center is a place where the history of the Pennsylvania German Schwenkfelders is not only preserved, but is alive for descendants and non-descendants to explore. People travel from around the world to visit the library and learn more about their ancestors, their tools, and their art.

Harry is not a Schwenkfelder, but his paintings are on display at the gallery because he has captured enough local scenes to easily fill the room. I've admired Harry's work before; he paints all sorts of subjects which include portraits of love ones and family pets, murals, and for fun, monsters (check out his monster blog). But I hadn't realized how dynamic his landscape pieces are. There is merit in viewing a properly hung, distinctly lit painting in a space designed to display artwork. The pieces seemed to change as I moved around the room...a  distant view yielding a different result than was seen up close. I wanted to buy them all.

Then the artwork really came to life as Harry described the subjects and landscape which were all located within a mile or two of his home. Most places I recognized. Harry lives in Telford, Pennsylvania very near the landmark Rising Sun Inn. If you live near nearby, I encourage you to see the show before summer's end. For those of you who have budding artists in your family, Harry is sharing his knowledge and talent with youth at a few summertime classes hosted at the gallery.

The Schwenkfelder Center and the artists it supports are just two examples of local gems that quietly add to the quality of my home. Is there a treasure in your hometown?

My mind is filled with unanswered questions...maybe you can help me with some of these:

Why are the tails always left unshelled when a shrimp dish is prepared?

Why do some smokers prefer a clean car interior to a littered environment?

Why are free couches always put at the roadside on the morning of a rainstorm?

Why does it matter that our coffee filters are bleached white before we use them?  What about toilet paper?

Why do American landowners feel that grass holds more value than trees?

I wholeheartedly believe that nutrition is a key to good health. My body needs fruits, vegetables, good carbs, quality fats, and protein. I cannot exist on fried foods and sugar without consequence, and all the proof I need is in the way I feel after eating a healthy meal vs. an unhealthy one.

But my best intentions are often destroyed in the grocery store where I stand in the produce isle baffled by what to buy. Is this ripe? What country did it come from? What chemicals does is contain? How do I cook it? I wind up buying the same old USA organic apples and carrots and proceed on, tantalized by the ready-made products that vie for my attention along the path to the checkout counter.

I've tried to start my own garden, but dealing with an overabundance of rocks and deer requires too significant an investment. And I fear that I'll abandon the project when summer fun starts or frustrations set in over diseased plants or hungry pests.

So finally I have found and joined a CSA. In short, I've become a member of a Community Supported Agriculture farm, and am now a shareholder in a local 2009 harvest. I purchased my share back in March from an organic farmer who lives about 15 minutes from my house.  Now, as the crops are coming in, I split the harvest with the farmer and all the other shareholders.  

I do not know if I will receive $300 worth of food by season's end; returns depend on the risks of drought and flood, but together this community of stake holders will share the farmer's burden. Together we provided the cash needed to get the crops started and have ensured the farm operation continues. Together we will eat.

I picked up my first yield on Sunday and am realizing how valuable this arrangement will be to my health. In addition to receiving a jar of honey and one dozen organic eggs, I filled my refrigerator with greens -- salad mix, Swiss chard, bok choy, snap peas, and one other leafy green vegetable I cannot identify. Now I HAVE to eat well.

Fewer trips to the grocery store to buy perishables means less temptation from convenience foods, and new varieties of vegetables means I must open those dust-gathering cookbooks. My body is beginning to get the foods it needs at the time of year when nature determines it is supposed to be eaten.  

The research needed to join a CSA must happen in the winter (or late fall) when the farmer is planning her next season. For this year, you can still do what has always helped me: stop at the roadside farm stands or visit the seasonal farmer's markets. This is one way to get fresh, healthy food and support your local farmer, but the drawbacks are that you still don't know how it was grown, you can't be sure it came from the farmer himself, and you'll probably walk away without experimenting beyond the same old apples and carrots. Besides, most of the farmer's markets also sell those irresistible fried and sugar foods that taste so much better than they make us feel.

If you want to learn more about CSAs, check out the site: LocalHarvest.org.