Planting the seed

I bought dirt the other day.

It seems funny to me that dirt is something that I needed to buy. I was potting some plants that we had bought at the farmers market, but we needed something to put them in. Something that is all over the place, that is so often considered a nuisance, that we have become entirely disconnected from.

How did we become so far removed from soil, from the earth? And from what it produces?

This blog is part of my attempt to become closer to the earth again, starting with what I eat.

Looking right now at the food in my fridge and cabinets, I have only seen the origins of one thing - the rhubarb from Tim and Lee's garden. I want to be able to know exactly where my food came from, how it was grown or produced, and what is in it.

I am looking for the story of my food.

I want to make three things clear before the story begins:

1) I am not asking anyone to change the way they eat or live. What I am asking, if you read this story, is that you take some time to think about what is in your food, how it got to your mouth, and what effects it had along the way (both on people and the earth). A great place to start is reading the labels - the ingredient list and where is was produced (or shipped from). I would also love to talk with you about what you think - is your food's story similar or completely different? Does it really matter where our food comes from or how it is grown?

2) In regards to my own eating habits, I am not perfect, nor anywhere close to it. I am not looking to eat in a way that is 100% "green" or sustainable, at least not immediately. I know that I cannot be perfect, but I want to make a difference. Even if that difference is as small as our back porch garden, or one local meal a week.

3) We are not alone. There is a food movement happening in this country. Change is coming. I have seen it everywhere from farmers markets to documentaries to the local, grass-fed buffalo burger I found on a menu in Madison last week. There are opportunities every day to be more conscious about what we eat, to be more connected to the earth.

I'll finish with a quote from one of my favorite books, Dr. Seuss' The Lorax:

Unless someone like you
Cares a whole awful lot
Nothing is going to get better,
It's not.

This is the story of my attempt to care a whole awful lot. Here's to a happy ending.