“Never doubt
that a small
group of thoughtful, committed
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the world;
indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
— Margaret Mead
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From the Editor
Fall, 2011
You have a different relationship with your food once you’ve grown it yourself. Raising my own lettuce means instead of wolfing down a salad I sometimes pause to savor the individual leaves. Instead of downing a handful of pecans, I consider that someone had to bend down and pick up each nut and then shell it. Knowing the work that goes into the harvest makes the pecans seem more special. My neighborhood used to be a pecan grove, so I am fortunate to get nuts from my own tree, just a step from the back door.
As I examine the proliferation of food-buying choices becoming available in the Cape Fear region, I am struck by the change in the conversation. Before, the discussion seemed to be about whether buying organic produce was “worth it”—presumably to the consumer. Now I am as likely to hear about pesticide use, sustainable farming, and calculating food miles. And our food vendors are responding: new farmers’ markets are opening, Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) is on the rise, and everyone seems to be talking about eating locally. When I walk into my local Harris Teeter and see, atop a mountain of sweet potatoes, a hand-lettered sign announcing they came from 81 miles away, I know things are changing.
We like to think that our actions can have an effect—for good—in the world, but often the choices we make seem far removed from our desired result. Driving fewer miles and switching to more efficient light bulbs makes sense, but by doing these are we really challenging the status quo?
Enter the food discussion. Choosing where and what to buy (or grow,) prepare, and eat is one of the most powerful actions left to us as individuals. It can have an immediate effect on our health, our community’s viability, these changes in my community, and realize that with choices I make every day—even eating a handful of pecans from my own yard—I’m part of this change.
—Valerie L. Robertson
Editor-in-Chief
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