5 weeks down. 3 weeks to go. The sad part is that I'm finally getting the hang of this whole internship/working thing. Since the last time I posted, there has been lots of new growth on the farm, and in particular, a new crop of veggies has started rolling in! We have potatoes, cucumbers, basil, and summer squash growing like crazy, and the tomatoes are starting to look pretty plump and juicy (almost ready to be picked!). Bok Choy has hit a record high, and green beans are pouring out of the bins. The cooking is also heating up, as we are trying some pretty creative, experimental dishes.
But, not everyone is as excited about the abundant veggies we have to work with in our kitchen. As a matter of fact, a couple crew members that I work with on the farm have stated their outright dislike in veggies and their affirmation that they won't even try a small piece. For those who do eat the veggies, many have said that they would never go to the hassle of cooking like we do on the farm at home. For someone who is so passionate and excited about these mostly green, yellow, and red, vitamin and mineral packed super foods like I am, it's quite disheartening to hear that they won't even give it a shot. After laying out their health benefits, their wonderful taste, and the ability to make you just feel good, still no progress.
It was only after a lengthy, and slightly heated reflection session two Sundays ago, and a life map activity our whole crew did on the farm last week, that pieces started falling into place making me realize that "just not liking veggies" isn't the only reason why a person might not try these vegetables. Tangled and twisted in a multi-faceted web of social, cultural, economic, and political mess lays the seemingly simple concept, FOOD. Growing up, it seemed that simple to me. My dad would bring home fresh, organic produce, and make a meal that was healthy, balanced, and nutritious. There was never a concern that food wouldn't be on the table, nor would be nutritious. Food comes from the farm, and then we cook and eat the food, right? Well, not quite. Yes, it is true that we do that at Seattle Tilth (which has been an amazing experience in of itself) and it is what I have pretty much done my whole life, but what if fresh produce doesn't show up in your supermarket? What if you have grown up in a family that only eats fast food because of money issues? What if you never even learned to cook? There are so many reasons that one would choose not to eat veggies, and not just because they don't taste good. It's more of an ingrained culture, I think, than anything. And, it's not something that is as much of a choice as I once thought….
It was only after a lengthy, and slightly heated reflection session two Sundays ago, and a life map activity our whole crew did on the farm last week, that pieces started falling into place making me realize that "just not liking veggies" isn't the only reason why a person might not try these vegetables. Tangled and twisted in a multi-faceted web of social, cultural, economic, and political mess lays the seemingly simple concept, FOOD. Growing up, it seemed that simple to me. My dad would bring home fresh, organic produce, and make a meal that was healthy, balanced, and nutritious. There was never a concern that food wouldn't be on the table, nor would be nutritious. Food comes from the farm, and then we cook and eat the food, right? Well, not quite. Yes, it is true that we do that at Seattle Tilth (which has been an amazing experience in of itself) and it is what I have pretty much done my whole life, but what if fresh produce doesn't show up in your supermarket? What if you have grown up in a family that only eats fast food because of money issues? What if you never even learned to cook? There are so many reasons that one would choose not to eat veggies, and not just because they don't taste good. It's more of an ingrained culture, I think, than anything. And, it's not something that is as much of a choice as I once thought….
We all drew life maps with our crew to map out our life from birth to joining Seattle Youth Garden Works. We could basically put whatever we wanted on the maps that most highlighted how we came to be who we were. There were countless stories of less than perfect lives, and plenty of hardship, but it's what made them who they were today. The one common thread that I picked up on was an intense desire and motivation to make the rest of their lives better than it might have been in the past. They want a better life for them and their family, and they attributed their starting point to this future success to the job they've had on the farm. It's less about the food, and more about what this farm is doing for our crew. There's a sense of accomplishment and joy that comes from completing the given farm work, or the harvest prep, and then selling the produce that was just harvested. My hope with the cooking program, however, is that we can instill that deeper appreciation for food that will go beyond the three days a week that we are on the farm. It might take time, given that food sometimes takes a seat on the backburner during periods of economic strife. But just because fresh fruits, veggies, and grains haven't been the staple food items of everyone's life, doesn't mean it can't slowly happen in the future. This seems like an ideal future in my mind, but not one that couldn't be achieved. I have a deeper understanding and appreciation for those that have not been fortunate enough to live the ideal food situation that I didn't realize I had, but it's only by understanding these different perspectives that we will be able to find a solution to this messy problem the world is facing right now.
Abby Farley
Duke Student '15
Abby Farley
Duke Student '15