If you ever watch any cooking programs on TV, or regularly read any cooking magazines, you've probably noticed that there seems to be a new emphasis on using and eating locally grown food. There's a variety of reasons for this: people want to know where and how their food is grown, mostly because they want to know what kinds of chemicals are or aren't being used. Some people focus on "eating organic" or "eating local" because that is their way of respecting and protecting the environment. Some want locally grown food for economic reasons, such as wanting to support local producers. And some people want locally grown food because they might have the option of more exotic and unique varieties of fruits and vegetables. You can't always find red carrots or patty-pan squash in the store, but if you knew a producer, you might actually request them to grow certain vegetables or fruits. I guess many of us look for a balance between the convenience of "store-bought" and the desire to re-connect with the land and our food.
Globally, eating locally grown food helps to ensure that all people have access to food, can survive independently, and can provide local employment: this is in a perfect world, of course. In reality, we know that the majority of the world goes to bed not having enough to eat, and the problem is not lack of food in the world but poor distribution of food. That's why it is so important for people to know how to grow their own food, so that they are not dependent on people who could use food as a way to make them powerless prisoners. This is called "food security".
You'll enjoy an event that is coming up on Saturday, February 25: it's the Prairie Sun Seed Festival. It will be held at the Dr. Brass School, with a variety of speakers, and a chance to talk to people who are informed and dedicated to growing food locally. Admission is a non-perishable food item or a donation to the food bank. If you'd like to find out more, call Heather Torrie at 786-0604. That's Saturday, February 25.
The Yorkton and District Horticultural Society always has something interesting on the go: we're having a meeting tonight, Wednesday, February 15 at 7 p.m. at SIGN on North Street. Our special guest tonight will be Sonja Pawliw speaking about growing mushrooms. You probably know Sonja because of her beautiful Healing Garden, but tonight she's going to share some information with us about mushrooms. There can't be many taste treats that are more appetizing than creamed mushrooms on toast; imagine if we could grow our own! We hope you can join us.
And just to remind you, you don't have to be a member to come to the meetings. If one of our speakers is presenting something that you are interested in, come join us! And if you decide that you would like to join the club, that's great! Don't worry about your level of gardening expertise - our group is for ALL interested gardeners, from novice to experienced green-thumbs! You will find nice people who share an interest in gardening, and that's a great way to learn. There is always something new to learn, isn't there!
Have a great week!
