Six or seven years ago, I listened to a presentation about food—more specifically fruits and vegetables. About soils, chemicals, spoilage, the costs of delivery and about time from picking to eating. The presenter brought to my attention the challenging process of transporting fruit and vegetables across our country and even across continents. He talked about the impact of weather delays, difficulties with refrigeration and much more.  

Now, when I shop, I notice the origin of what I am buying, and think about how long and what that product went through to get to my table. Just how fresh can blueberries from South America or even avocados from Mexico still be once they arrive in New Jersey? The presenter talked about the future and how eventually local was the only answer. It made sense to me, and still does. Here is the point of the talk. Grow local, buy local.

 I’m happy that the local supermarkets are boasting about local farmers supplying their shelves, and how organic has established a foothold in our supply chain. Organic agriculture makes so much sense to me. In a nutshell, it works with nature and eliminates chemicals. Biodynamic farming is another common-sense growing practice that is very intense and incredibly interesting.  

Personally, I am not close to being knowledgeable or by any stretch of the imagination an expert. Living in a small condo provides little room for a garden but we did manage to squeeze one in. We also bought a hydroponics vertical growing tower that we love. It even comes with soothing sounds from the water spray. Vertically growing allows us to stack and takes up no additional space. We love this! 

We enjoy watching the growing process and knowing where the food that hits our table came from. Nothing that I can think of is as good as a large Jersey tomato fresh from the side of our house, grown in the organic soil we treated back in April, or the salads we picked rather than paid for throughout this summer.  

Presently, we’re on a list with our local library for a plot in the community garden. By next year, we hope to expand our passion for growing our own into new challenges to eat with enjoyment. Let the feast begin!

With peace, love and laughter,

Joe Dunne