Love in the Time of Corona: Support the Local Food Economy
In this time of incredible uncertainty and stress, I find myself wondering what role I can play in transforming my world towards something better than what it is today. What small changes can I make in my life to support a healthier, more well society for everyone?
Supporting my local economy by shopping at the farmer’s market is one small commitment I make every week. Even though I was freaked out about it at first, I’ve continued to go there during the shelter in place order. I wear a mask, I’ve become pretty disciplined about not touching my face and I wash every morsel of food with soap and water before it comes into the house. It’s a lot of work, but I feel more intimate with the food and I feel so much gratitude for being able to have it. This washing ritual feels like exactly what I’m supposed to do with food.
Tips:
wear a mask of face covering and stay at least 6 feet away from everyone (I like to stay 10 feet away if I can!)
bring reusable bags for the produce and wash them after each use on the hottest setting
use natural dish soap to wash, rubbing each item for 20-30 seconds
spray credit cards and phone with alcohol before bringing them back in the house
thank your farmers!
I’ve read articles and listened to a lot of people talk about how this virus is the direct result of expanding global capitalist production. Agribusiness, deforestation, climate change…all the catastrophic ways we are throwing the ecological environment out of the balance. Not to mention how all this production depends on black and brown bodies to be cheap labor for this unnatural production and the very same bodies are relied upon to be consumers of the good produced from this process.
And it makes me want to buy food from my local farmers—who are also black and brown. There is nothing that people produce that is more important than food. And they do it in a way that doesn’t ship foods from thousands of miles away. So I feel more closely connected with nature and what is in season around me.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the farmers!
Social Distancing
I do wear a mask to the farmer’s market where they’ve organized ways to stay six feet away from each other. In deep appreciation of the farmers who continue to produce the most important thing that people produce: food.
