It is an exciting time to be a foodie in this country. Hell, it’s an exciting time to be a foodie in Cincinnati! There is a call for a stronger sustainable foodshed that is finally, finally being noticed by those who can actually DO something about it. The Secretary of Agriculture is setting in motion programs that will not only help out those small farmers that are struggling to survive without submitting to BigAg, but they are putting money out there for communities to start NEW small sustainable farms. Cincinnati is one of those communities!
Findlay Market received some grant money last year for a new program called CHEF, where unused plots of land are being repurposed into micro-farms. It apparently went so well, that they are expanding the program this year, and are taking on ten new teams or individuals this year. I have jumped at this opportunity, and I will certainly keep all of you posted as to how it goes. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
I lust over the idea of being able to ride my bike to my farm in the middle of Over-The-Rhine – the middle of one of the most maligned but most historically interesting neighborhoods in our fair city. My roots are there: my great-great grandmother owned a candy store there back in the day, my grandfather owned a small trucking company that was displaced by the construction of Riverfront Stadium and I get teary-eyed at the prospect of being able to also conduct business downtown.
This sudden spotlight on small-scale farming has been all over the blogosphere, ranging from people that are just starting to experiment with growing their own vegetables to seasoned farmers blogging to market their CSA’s and also to educate less experienced growers. I have found the community to be welcoming and collaborative, and they hail from all over the country – most with a common goal: to help people get back into healthier eating habits… healthier not only because the foods aren’t processed beyond recognition, but also because they come from your community. I was saddened and disgusted the other night when I watched this TED talk with Jamie Oliver, because he illustrates for us some of the fallout from our generations of modern convenience – obese four-year-olds and entire classrooms full of children who can’t properly identify a tomato.
I keep going back to my copy of Walden and I keep thinking about how passionate Thomas Jefferson was about those who work the soil. “Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous, and they are tied to their country and wedded to its liberty and interests by the most lasting bonds. As long, therefore, as they can find employment in this line, I would not convert them into mariners, artisans, or anything else.” –Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, 1785. ME 5:94, Papers 8:426
I believe it is still a noble and worthwhile calling. How different would our political system be if the original concept was still intact: that when you were elected to serve your country in a political office, you left your farm to serve your term, then went back to working your land once your term was done. Farming is a difficult and sometimes thankless profession, and it pains me every time I am reminded of how our modern life has devalued that kind of work. I am routinely surprised and disappointed when I talk to people who don’t know that sweet corn isn’t in season here until late July. We as a culture have ignored a lot of useful information for the last fifty or so years, for the sake of convenience, a full two-car garage and a big-screen TV with 500 channels of nothing particularly good to watch.
I applaud First Lady Michelle Obama on her efforts to combat childhood obesity and to re-popularize kitchen gardens and home cooking, but it is certainly an uphill battle. There are those who would reject a gift of home-grown produce since it didn’t come shrink wrapped with a label on it, and I know that there are a lot of people out there who don’t feel like they have the time to cook a meal from scratch. I encourage you to try. Make a goal of preparing a single meal this week from scratch. It’s a start. Your body will thank you for it.
Cheers!
Dark Martha
http://www.consciousurbanliving.com/
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I want to quiz my kid next time we are at the grocery, just to see if she can identify an eggplant.
Cooking is such a gift we give our selves and our children.
Good stuff you’ve written.
Couple questions
A. Do you have any links to sites or message boards for beginner gardeners ?
B. How do you get water to the urban gardens? Hauling water on a bike is a nightmare.
thanks
So very glad you asked, Quimbob!
. Depending on the site, I don’t know if municipal water would be available or not. So much TBD, it is driving me a little nuts! 
A. I wholeheartedly recommend The Garden Girl for a practical approach to small-scale gardening, and she’s got a great message board; The Farmer’s Almanac is also a good resource. I have already digested a lot of the stuff, and I welcome questions, too.
B. I won’t need to truck water with the bike, as I would have a rain catchment system as part of the overall garden plan – a single 55-gallon rainbarrel served my home kitchen garden + last year. I do have a car, which I use begrudgingly
This was awesome and inspirational!!!! I have been reading about alternatives to industrial farming.
I wonder if the City of Hamilton has any limitations on small life stock like hen layers.
Thank you, Etha!
For the chickens, I keep a small laying flock of about 6 birds. I think it to be very rewarding. There is a great informative group that I belong to: Cincinnati Backyard Chickens I want to say that they have an evolving database for the laws and bylaws surrounding keeping chickens in the Greater Cincinnati area, including all of the smaller burgs that incorporated/unincorporated, etc. I have found it to be a great forum and resource.
I blog about my adventures in chicken keeping quite a bit on my own site, you should check it out!
I want to thank all of you who are inspired by what I do, because it has worked to propel me to the next level: I was tapped today to participate in the Findlay Market Urban Farming Program! I hope that you will continue to keep up with my endeavors and I welcome your input and questions!