the real food is here

It was 5:00am on a Saturday morning when we started our work. First we had to get our four little girls up, fed and dressed ready for the big day. All our orders had been finalised and it was now just a matter of getting the fresh picked produce down to the city.

It’s something that I’ve thought about doing for a while now, I guess it’s been on the back burner because I’ve been busy, but there comes a time where you must put into action the beliefs you so ardently promote.

We all have a choice and in regards to food, the thing we all can’t live without, we have a choice to eat with a conscience. It’s important to me, it’s important to a lot of folk out there. Some of us want to make a positive change, and although a small number of us make up the population, the important element is, we exist.

Before my time there were places called grocery stores and fruit and veg shops. They were owned by families, and they sold seasonal fresh produce that was grown not too far away (as refrigeration and more importantly refrigerated transport was not invented). That was a long time ago. Now food is transported from all over the world to our local supermarket to give us what we ‘want’. We shop for food in order of the meals we want to eat, instead of what is available and grown locally in season. This approach is current but it may be a thing of the past. As I handed each box full of delicious organic produce over to each person that had placed an order I felt more and more like there was a real underground movement happening. Change is in the wind.

People are more and more informed and able to make intelligent decisions about food, and for that I am glad. It made the 5:00 am start worth while. I felt overwhelmed that there are people out there willing to put their philosophical beliefs about food and where they should be getting it into practice. I have to say I’m proud to be part of this change. I’m not sure where it will go, or how much impact it will have, but big things take time and plenty of baby steps. On the drive to the city we passed 6 large 16 wheeler semi trailers marked for two major supermarket chains. We, heading the opposite direction had a small trailer full of vegetables grown just an hour out of the city. Hell knows what was in those big trucks, but no doubt it would have been either highly produced factory food or ‘fresh’ produce that’s traveled many a mile and been in storage for longer than it naturally should have.

If only the growers that supplied the major supermarket chains were able to supply local outlets instead of it being sent to a distribution centre in a major city then transported back to their local supermarket. It’s really only a matter of time before fuel costs are so high that the food system will have to change. But for now we will do what we can by offering fresh organic produce to Melbourne, and Ballarat and keep the food transport under an hour travel time.

For everyone that ordered and picked up the veg, I thank you for your choice. I look forward to hearing more about your back yard veg patches and what you did with this delicious organic produce!