Farm This (final draft)

“All right, I’m up”
“We are out front,” exclaims my sister “ I called you three times already!”
“I will be out the door in two minutes.”
I roll out of bed man my head hurts; I chug two glasses of water and brush my teeth vigorously. Throw on some shorts, a wrinkled shirt, my Birkenstock sandals, and of course my shades, without these the sun would be blinding this time of year. I jump into my sister’s car, my mom and her waiting patiently.
It’s 9:45 on Saturday the third week of July. I am beyond excited and hung-over, my breath the topic of conversation more than once, reeking of Liquor. Why the hell am I up, only sleeping four hours after walking two miles home drunk? Seasonal, local fruit and vegetables of course, the amazing Athens Farmers Market is my destination. Look nowhere else for some of the best tasting food you will ever experience. Lettuce that was picked yesterday, vine ripened heirloom tomatoes of all varieties, mushrooms, and my favorite the wide array of fruit. Even some farmers carrying a few Asian vegetables, locally made cheddar and goat cheeses, along with middle eastern salads and desserts, only to name a few of the many options.
Since I can remember my mom has shopped at this market, arriving before it opens to ensure that we eat the best fruit and vegetables. We were not the typical family; we ate together nightly, enjoying nourishing balanced meals made from scratch. Today this seems to be a novelty, with the masses rushing to the closest fast food chain just to fill their stomachs, with no thought about what it took to make that cheap unhealthy meal.
My mother has also loved to garden my whole life and beginning last year my mom, sister, and I started our own garden at my sister’s house where we grow mostly vegetables. The feeling of working the land, plating the seed, weeding, watering, caring for the plants, and then finally harvesting it, is one of the most powerful experiences I have ever had. This is an experience that many never have had, lacking the feeling of what truly fresh food tastes like.
My environmental ethic has been influenced not only by my mother but also through the media, books in particular. Authors such as Michael Pollan, Carlo Petrini, and Alice Waters have shaped my environmental ethic exponentially. Reading the compelling stories and facts that they divulge in their various writings has truly changed what I eat. No longer do I frequent fast food chains, I eat as locally or organically as possible, only trying to eat whole unprocessed food.
Food is my main concern when it comes to the environment because that is where I feel humans have messed things up exponentially. We have GMO’s instead of natural varieties that are harsher on the environment because they require more chemicals. We have animals that are fed diets in contrast to their natural diet solely to fatten them for profit, we have a meat grading system that encourages that kind of behavior, and then after all that, we ship this food worldwide.
In reality it is sadly no longer possible for all to eat this fresh, due to the fact that not everyone lives in a location that has land to grow crops. Although, many do have land and should take the time to grow some of there own food. We have come too far from where our food originates, this disconnect has dire consequences on future generations. No longer are many people able to identify food in its natural environment, kill for themselves, let alone cook for themselves.
If we fail to change the way we eat, the cost on the future of the environment and humans is a concern. The water ways get polluted daily with run off from farms due to too much animal waste and the water pumped full of antibiotics and steroids. The animals themselves being fed mostly a diet of corn only to fatten them up, which in turn makes more profit, but in reality is costs us our health due to the excess fat in our diet. Vegetables are grown on soil that is so bare from all the chemicals used that the only way to make it fertile is to use more chemicals, a never-ending process that seems only to get worse.
What can you do, how can you help, what needs to change? People need to eat locally especially in season, why not if the food tastes better and benefits local farmers anyway? People need to not eat out of season produce that was grown in South America and then shipped far. As a whole if we don’t change you might not see a difference immediately but eventually it will have an impact. What would you do one day if the grocery store ran out of food, where would you find your food supply