Who’s your farmer?

I’m lifting a page directly from the current eco-greenie-sustainable-organic book here……….but it’s a valid point, despite not being an original one.

Your family has a mechanic, a plumber, a doctor, a lawyer.  Perhaps you have an electrician, an accountant, a personal trainer.  But do you know who your farmer is?

You need to be able to trust your doctor and your mechanic because they’re providing a valuable service to your family – in fact, they have a direct impact on the quality of your life.  Doesn’t it make as much sense to know who’s producing your food?

Cool Beans CSA might not be your solution – I hope it is, but it’s far more important to make sure everyone who comes on board with us has made the right decision, and perhaps there’s a better choice for you.  But whether you’re a Cool Bean or not, I hope you’ll think about the difference it would make if you knew where your food was coming from, how it was raised, who cared for it on your behalf until it reached your table.

Judi and I volunteered at the PASA (Pa. Sustainable Agriculture) booth at the Farm Show a few weeks ago, and since it was that rarest of occurrences – both of us sitting down at the same time – we had a picture taken.   Now, we’re not thinking that you’re going to look at this picture and think wow, what a couple of babes, I want them to grow my food.  Or even that you’ll look at it and remark that Judi, on the right, is obviously young and fit and strong and that Katie, well, there’s a couple of miles on that old girl, but maybe that brings with it added wisdom……….so I want them to grow my food.  No, no, it’s just a picture.

Who's your farmer? How about us?

But it’s also a symbol of the transparency with which we intend to run Cool Beans.  If you’re a member, you’re going to be part of an extended family, a support group of sorts for those of us who want a healthier lifestyle, starting with what we eat.  You’ll know what we’re planting, how things are going in the fields, how soon it will be until the tomatoes ripen, how the corn is shaping up this year.  It’s the next best thing to doing it yourself, and for many of you, what with those pesky day jobs and lack of acreage, it just isn’t practical.  So choose your farmers with care!