My daughter said to me the other day, “But Mom, I just want a banana.  You can’t save the world one banana at a time!”  Boy, did that pose a dilemma for this mother.  My daughter was begging for fruit!   But I live in Michigan, bananas don’t grow here.  Not within thousands of miles!  Wonderful things do however; raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, cherries, apples, pears, peaches and more.  All summer long is a buffet of fantastic fruits and vegetables.  How do I justify a banana that has flown thousands of miles, using gallons of fuel to arrive at my table, when there is so much here?

Utilize Local Foods

That is one thing that I feel is so important about the community garden.  teaching our children, and ourselves, to grow what we can or to find local resources for what we don’t.  It is essential to utilize what we have in our area, not bring food from across country, or continents so we can have whatever we want, whenever we want it.  If you don’ t garden there are farmers markets, roadside stands and grocery stores that sell local produce.  We need to support these efforts.  (There are many online resources for finding a farmers market in your area.  One such resource is  http://www.farmersmarkets.msu.edu/)

I don’t have anything against bananas; I like them, and do miss them occassionally.  I don’t think I can “save the world one banana at a time.”  But if we all work together to grow what we can, make an effort to eat local and support our area’s farmers, it will make a difference.  And that is a good place to start.