Still pickin'

We’re taking a break from picking cotton. That has never happened before. Usually we start and it is a combination marathon and demolition derby to get the crop in before the rains really start. This year everything has been so late due to the cool weather that the last field was too green to pick when we got to it Wednesday afternoon. Since the weather looked dry and warm we decided to wait. [Of course the next day they forecast rain for Sunday. My luck.]


I came across some essays by Wendell Berry this past week. One essay, “The Pleasure of Eating” caught my attention. After going on his diatribe about how and what Americans eat he asks the question, “What can one do?” Good question.

His first thought was “Participate in food production to the extent that you can. If you have a yard or even just a porch box or a pot in a sunny window, grow something to eat in it…Only by growing some food for yourself can you become acquainted with the beautiful energy cycle that revolves from soil to seed to flower to fruit to food to offal to decay and around again.”

I like that. I think one of the problems we have is that people have grown too distant from their food supply. Growing even a small portion of our own food would bring us closer to a vital link with the natural world.

The snarky part of me thinks it would also help people realize how difficult growing food can be. If your little pot of tomatoes doesn’t make it you can always go to the store. Now imagine instead of a pot of tomatoes it is a whole field, and you family’s income depend on harvesting it and getting it to market while it is still fresh.

The other thing we can realize growing our own food is how much we actually eat. When I have grown tomatoes or corn in the yard it has been good as a garnish in a salad and a couple of ears of corn. Growing a ‘porch box’ of food should remind us all how much work it takes to keep us fed every day all year long.

Some of Berry’s other points are just as good-

2. “Prepare your own food” [Berry reminds us elsewhere that cooking and eating are some of the most basic acts of our daily lives.]

3. “Learn the origin of the food you buy.”

4. “Whenever possible, deal directly with a local farmer, gardener or orchardist.”

Berry has some harsh criticism of modern agri-business, some of it deserved. What caught my attention is that fact that so many people are so disconnected from their food supply. I have written and spoken about this before myself, though not nearly as articulately as Mr. Berry.

I like his suggestions for reconnecting with our food. Bon appétit!

Well, tomorrow is a day of rest. After church I see siesta in my future. Then back to harvest on Monday, weather permitting.

I hope y’all have a great week.

P