June is busting out all over!

Yesterday was my first trip to Dallas Farmers Market since local produce has shown up, and I’m very happy about my purchases. Of course, how “local” is local? At times I consider anything from Texas “local” (which is such a joke, but it means I buy Pederson’s Farms Canadian Bacon instead of Wellshire Farms Canadian Bacon because even at almost 300 miles away, San Antonio is closer than New Jersey.

So yesterday’s haul:

Summer squash, yellow cooking onions, red onions, peaches from Nevada (pronounced Neh-VAY-duh), 35 miles away.

Yellow pear tomatoes, yellow zucchini, green zucchini, red tomatoes from Canton, 60 miles away.

Yellow squash, green beans from Princeton, 40 miles away.

Cream cheese spread (natural, organic farmstead cheeses–feta & spinach and garlic & basil) from Kemp, 43 miles away.

Organic, range-free eggs from Farmersville, 42 miles.

Range-free, grass fed, organic, yadda yadda beef (ground beef, ribeye steaks and a chuck roast) and pork (butterflied pork chops and pork bratwurst) from Farmersville, 42 miles.

I’m probably forgetting something, but my refrigerator is stuffed and I bought way more yellow squash than we can eat quickly so I’ll be preparing some with onions to freeze. I really got into the freezing thing last year, and will proceed again this year. Last year was primarily tomatoes but this year I intend to expand.

I know I wrote about this last year after I read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kinsolver, but I can’t find the post/s now. Anyway–

If you’re wondering, what’s the deal with “local foods” as opposed to buying whatever they have at the grocery store? Read that book. Short form answer: It tastes better, is better for you, supports small farmers as opposed to corporate farms and is better for the environment. Honestly, how cost effective can it truly be to ship your onions from California when the local farmers have them available? And that’s just the tip of the iceberg reasoning.

I wish I had a place to grow a garden. I’d order heirloom seeds and go after it. Sigh.

David Letterman needs your help!

(Ahem.)

Well, somebody thinks he does. “Somebody” thinks a farm bill should support huge corporate farmers instead of family farms and provide tax breaks for the wealthy. Is that what you think? If so, maybe you want to skip this entry. If not, keep reading the following from Sojourners.

When you think of family farmers, do you picture comedian David
Letterman or former NBA star Scottie Pippen? How about
billionaires like David Rockefeller and Microsoft co-founder
Paul Allen?

Amazingly, they’re some of the people receiving your taxpayer
dollars in the form of crop subsidies, which overwhelmingly
benefit absentee landlords and big agribusiness at the expense
of farmers in America and the developing world who are
struggling to feed their families.

Right now, Congress is deciding whether to extend these unfair
subsidies as part of the Farm Bill, a mammoth but little-known
piece of legislation that governs our nation’s agricultural
policies. It affects everyone who eats, not just those who farm.

Please consider letting Congress know how you feel about this. The following editable form letter is available here:

As a constituent, I urge you to prioritize the needs of poor farmers – in the United States and abroad – as you craft the 2007 Farm Bill.

The current subsidy system is broken, benefiting big agribusiness interests and absentee landowners (like David Letterman and Scottie Pippen!) instead of legitimate small family farmers. And it wreaks havoc on the lives of farmers in developing countries by encouraging the overproduction of a handful of crops and driving down prices in the world market.

I urge you to reform the commodity title of the Farm Bill. Instead of paying subsidies to those who don’t need them, we should be investing in other programs that promote nutrition (such as food stamps and school lunches), rural economic development, and conservation.

Continuing the 2002 Farm Bill is simply not an option – you must take this opportunity to reform the Farm Bill so that it is fair for both those who farm and those who eat.

Thank you for your consideration.

If you don’t agree, well feel free to edit the letter to say, “Keep up the good work,” whatever. I mean, who am I to tell you what to think?

But as Steven Hopp said in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle — this isn’t a Farm Bill, it’s a Farm Kill.

* David Letterman, Scottie Pippen, David Rockefeller, Paul Allen, absentee landlords and big agribusiness were not harmed in the making of this entry.