Welcome Summer!

Summer arrives on Wednesday at 10:58 AM here in my part of the country, but I decided to celebrate a little early and went to our big, regional farmers market on Saturday to get a look at the first pickings of the season. For me, touring farmers markets and gardens is like going to Disney World without the rides and people dressed up like story characters, although I have seen people dressed like fruits and vegetables in other areas!

I am so proud of our local, organic farmers who work so hard to bring us good, healthy food. I know how difficult it is to grow organically, especially these days. To be certified organic, a farm has to go through a lengthy and expensive process with the government. Meanwhile, factory farms who use GMO's, pesticides, and other, non-healthy practices get the subsidies. Our local farmers are heroes to me. 

I have to admit that, being a vegan, I sometimes go overboard when I'm turned loose in this environment. Although I do a lot of my own cooking from scratch, I still live in a studio apartment with a small, apartment-size refrigerator and freezer. My poor veggie bin only holds so much. Since the early greens are in season, I went a little crazy with the spinach, Swiss chard, and green onions. Some of our folks use green houses to get an early start, so I was also able to pick up some yummy mushrooms, a shiny cucumber, and snap peas. Then I had to go home and figure out what to do with it all!

The farmers market was not the only place that gifted me with beautiful produce. My own little tabletop herb garden is doing well and I was able to harvest some parsley and mint to make a batch of tabbouleh for my granddaughter's husband as a surprise for Father's Day. He loves the stuff and summer is when I make a lot of it. It was such a joy and a blessing to use my own homegrown herbs. It came out pretty good if I do say so myself. Then I used some of the Swiss chard to make a chard-tomato-garlic pasta sauce to toss with veggie pasta. Some of the spinach went into a smoothie this morning. 

I'm not here to brag about my vegan cooking skills, but to honor this season of growing, and the hard work and dedication of our local farmers. Small farms that are productive and make the farmers a decent living are few and far between. Factory farms have made it more difficult for them, so I applaud those that have stuck it out and found a way to go on. Perhaps their courage and creativity will inspire a new generation to get out on the land and keep it going. Or, maybe it will encourage us to get out into our gardens, dig up that lawn, and plant the seeds of healthy eating for ourselves, our families, and our communities. As long as there are farmers markets, there is hope for all of us.

And so it is.