Surface Tension

"What are you getting out of this? Why do it?" I was taken aback by these questions the first time I heard them in response to this project. The second and third times I was a bit offended. Until asked, it never occurred to me that anyone would question why; it just made sense to me and seemed like a great idea with nothing but positive outcomes. Why wouldn't I do it? I had to admit, though, that I would have entertained the exact same questions if it were someone else doing it. We are conditioned as a society to assume everyone has an angle - some way to profit off of someone or something. I love the notion of doing good simply because it is a good thing and the right thing to do. I crave the good in humanity - the things that hold us together, particularly when it feels like there are fewer of them. When I started to articulate the whys, I realized I had quite a list. Here they are organized from the most to the least selfish:

If you've ever had the privilege of sampling the organic carrots from Starlight Gardens, fresh shiitake mushrooms from Button Factory Farm, teas from Bittersweet Farm, breads from Rosa Farm or The Bread Girl, salad greens and arugula from Deep Hollow Farm, corn from the Burr family's farm stand, or any of the fresh eggs from around town, you know true joy. If you have ever tasted a tomato fresh off the vine, grown in good soil enriched with compost and nature's fertilizer, ripened to perfection in the hot summer sun, you know bliss. These conditions that produce the most delightful combinations of tastes, textures, aromas, and beauty simply cannot be replicated on a commercial level; January's tomato is not even a tomato when compared to July's. I love good food and I want access to it - that is my most selfish motive. If we support each other, we keep that access and potentially gain access to more. Fresh vegetables and dairy are infinitely superior in quality and taste to what we find in the grocery store. We have so much local talent with regards to cheese makers, bakers, pasta makers, coffee roasters, meat & dairy farmers, artisans, etc. Why not market to and shop from each other so we can make maintaining our businesses not only feasible, but successful?

Then there's the defiant side of me - equal parts can't-we-all-get-along and you-can't-tell-me-what-to-do. I wouldn't be telling the whole truth if I didn't admit that part of me celebrates thumbing my nose at big businesses that operate on corporate greed and exploitation. The eight-year-old in me stands firmly grounded with hands on hips, glaringly challenging anyone who dares to dictate what my options are. We will make our own options, thank you very much. And they'll be better. (If my parents are reading this, I am sure they are chuckling and exchanging a "you got that right" glance.)

In this growing climate of uncertainty, it seems logical to scale back our dependency on larger businesses and become more self-sufficient within our immediate communities. In doing so, we can offer each other security, as well as increased food safety. We can eat better and live better in the process. We can take care of those of us in need and at the very least be sure none of us goes hungry. We will be adding information on how to best help feed our community. Since we will be offering merchandise here to help pay for the fees associated with maintaining this site, if we happen to have a surplus, we will donate to our local food pantries. We also have been tossing around ideas for a community garden to supply our food pantries, as well as pitching the idea of a soup kitchen that uses local farm and grocery store surpluses to reduce waste and increase nutritious food supply for those of us in need. That is my most emotional motive.

The emotional motive runs the deepest and the hottest. The core purpose of this project has been swirling around in my head for a long while, but it took time and external forces to help, if not force, it to take shape. As soon as there was enough of a concept to articulate to another person, I began to write things down and asked a friend in town to help me organize it all into this website. I feel strongly about farming, food sources, a sense of community, and the power of hope. While there has certainly been a decades-long push towards encouraging local food-source sustainability, there now exists the perfect threshold-meeting combination of external factors conducive to making it happen. So let's make it happen. The vast majority of us have become accustomed to convenience, making the amount of research involved in shopping local somewhat of a hurdle - perceived or not. So we did the research for you and have presented it here categorized and cross-referenced and complete with a how-to page. In the coming weeks we may add a tutorial video, as well. This site is intended to be and will be ever evolving, as sources come and go and gaps are identified and hopefully filled. We look forward to sharing in the things that hold us all together, for community is always the answer to any question (voiced or not) regarding how to exist and how to move forward.

Mindi Murphy