Locally Grown

When I go to the grocery store and

see all the boxes and cans and jars of food, 

tomatoes, potatoes and asparagus and mounds of produce from all over the world, 

milk and eggs and butter and cheese

refrigerators full of pizza and perogies and ice cream and fruits and vegetables

I am impressed 

and grateful for the abundance and variety of food available

everyday and in an abundance of stores and shops!

But,

when I walk in the sun, under the trees, with the wind in my hair

to the Moss Street Market on Saturday morning,

I see a more glorious abundance.

I see neighbours and friends walking with baskets and bags in hand

stalls of locally grown Swiss chard, rhubarb, patty pans, potatoes, tomatoes, onions and garlic, 

produce from farms all around Victoria

then there are glittering jewelled jars of pickles, peppers, jams and jellies

tables with breads and rolls, cinnamon buns and crusty dark breads

the aromas of cooking street food blends with the music of live performers

booths with hand made clothing and jewelry fill a schoolyard 

beside the playground where children climb colourful swings and rope ladders

the life of community in beautiful sound and colour.

“Be seasonal, ethical and gentle.”

~ Fennel Hudson, 

Traditional Angling - Fennel’s Journal - No. 6