There’s more to the shifting landscape of farming in the last century than the evolution of technology. Tractors and inputs have certainly changed, but it can be argued that a more significant factor is the emergence of a global marketplace. Transportation advances have flooded us with products from other states, countries, and continents. This is not a new phenomenon; after all, dried cacao beans from the Americas became Dutch cocoa before the Industrial Revolution. What is new: the ability to transport mass amounts of perishable goods quickly across far distances, so that families in Maine can buy bunches of fresh bananas from Guatemala or Ecuador before they over-ripen.
Grocery stores have marketing teams and carefully calibrated lighting, beautiful displays and charming ambience. They are culinary meccas beyond the wildest dreams of our Depression-era great-grandparents, but few American adults today can imagine life without the dazzling rainbow of choices in the produce department. Technology has brought abundance, but abundance has created a scarcity of connection. Most of us no longer know what is in season, where, or when.
As Farm shareholders, you are intimately connected with what is happening in our fields. Your shares each week contain only what’s growing well, right in your community. With all the choices at your fingertips, you’ve chosen to sync your appetite with nature on the adventure of local food! This week, we set out to honor your decision to “Eat Local” with a social media challenge to all our followers. We're only grocery shopping at the Farm and Farm Stand. We’ve been documenting our own staff’s meals and recipes, all to serve up some seasonal inspiration. Eating and shopping locally doesn’t have to feel restrictive or involve complicated recipes and hours of planning. The best food is grown nearby and cooked with love.
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading along on our local food adventure. There are a few more days left in our challenge, so be sure to follow Willowsford Farm on Instagram and Facebook, and look for the hashtag #WillowsfordFarmilyEats. Post your own photos online and share them with the Farm-ily. Don’t forget, if you’re looking for inspiration, our Pinterest page (Willowsford Farm) is organized by vegetable and updated weekly. Need a break from the stove, but want to keep that local theme? Stop by the Farm Stand on August 3rd between 11-2 for frites, fried chicken, and sandwhiches prepared by The Frenchman Food Truck with local Virginia ingredients (check out www.frenchmanfoodtruck.com for the full menu)!
