WriterByNature.com

I love it when my writing life is enriched by a new word, especially one that relates to my lifestyle and values. My attempt to eat food growing locally makes me a locavore.

I am a member of Harmony Farm, a local CSA. They are very happy to let me take the weeds in addition to my share of freshly harvested vegetables.

Most people attempting to eat locally are dealing with farm-raised food. But some of them are finding that foraging provides added benefits.

I went back to one of my usual hiking trails knowing that I would find wineberries:

Black trumpet mushrooms:

And staghorn sumac tea:

These delicacies, added to my share of the farm harvest, means that more than half the food on my table was grown within 35 miles of where I live.

Now, I’m still not totally a locavore. I love avocados in season. The avocado pit I planted 13 years ago has grown into a lovely small tree. It lives in a huge pot indoors; New York winters would kill it. I doubt it will ever produce fruit.

Still, most of what I eat grows locally, is picked fresh when it is ripe, (not before), and spends less than an hour getting from the field to my home. I can taste the difference. I still get the benefit of the farm, even if I no longer own land. That’s a blessing.

Now, maybe I’ll go through my list of new words and see if I can create a writing exercise or challenge.