Had to chuckle aloud this weekend while listening to NPR. One of my fave public radio voices, Splendid Table host Lynne Rossetto Kasper, expressed surprise that eating local can be tricky in rural areas.
The timing for her remarks couldn't have been more perfect for me. As it happens, during the first half of her show, I was driving a lovely rural stretch between San Antonio and Austin where I saw precisely two droopy, drought-stricken home gardens, one farmer's market with slim pickin's, and a dusty vineyard. That was pretty much it for visible local food. Not surprising...given the inherent challenges to growing food in these parts.
And then there's the issue of younger generations (yup, including mine!) moving to urban areas (or, in my case, the banlieu--that point of intersection between rural lands and suburbia), leaving farms and gardens once tended by our families fallow. Of course, some of that land has been sold to Wal-Mart and other retailers, creating the same kind of over-dependency on large-scale agriculture found in big cities. Lately, I find myself wondering whatever happened to the elderly gentleman from whom my mom bought veggies periodically near our home. He had a tiny table with a handmade sign...and an ample garden. And what became of my aunt and uncle's old farm in Pearland, which once featured a cannery, a produce stand and a small bakery? I wonder if it's been converted into commercial property now; the family's former rice fields long ago having sprouted housing developments that look, well, a lot like mine.
Darn straight it can be tricky to be a rural locavore. Heck, it can be difficult sometimes to be a suburban locavore, too. Good on Kasper to talk about it!!!
But how did she discover this fact in the first place?
It seems that Kasper's team launched an initiative recently, Locavore Nation, through which fifteen Splendid Table listeners document their lives eating 80% locally, organic and sustainable for an entire year. The objective is to discover what it really takes to be a locavore in different sections of America. It's a brilliant, inclusive concept--one that was really needed and deserves more notice in the MSM and the blogosphere.
As part of the project, Kasper periodically showcases participants, all of whom blog about their adventures. On this week's show, she chatted with Vera Schabicki, who shared her experience eating locally (or trying to eat locally) in Mississippi. To do it, Schabicki has to drive about an hour to purchase produce.
Makes my 25-mile trip for organic, air-chilled chicken raised in Texas seem a little better in comparison. And it reminds me why I love my teeny-tiny farmer's market so much. Would it belabor my point to add that this stories also illustrates why we need to work diligently to ensure Victory Garden skills (including "adaptive vegetable gardening"--my term--for challenging climates) need to be encouraged in rural areas as much as urban and suburban places?
You can listen to the story at The Splendid Table (19 July 2008 show). Schabicki's is the last segment. And I think this is the post that prompted Kasper to interview her. Also, you can read more about Locavore Nation here. It's a very, very cool idea...you can select your region and follow a blogger.
You know, it's stories and projects like these that make me proud our household supports public radio. Truly.
(Oh, and special thanks to A.M.M. for reminding me about this week's show!)
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