CH 3: Food from your friendly neighbor

There is something about biting into a just-picked, red, juicy, sun-ripened tomato that will bring one to a deep-rooted, natural human place. Even just for a moment and even if in ones 450 sq. ft. Brooklyn apartment. Those moments are few and far between for most. We don’t all have thriving gardens in our back yards… We don’t all have back yards. For most Americans what was “once upon a time” a trip to the garden is now a trip to the local fruit stand, grocer, or food super-center. Most people visit a grocery store that seems to magically have the produce they desire even when it’s not in season. It may not be the juiciest, ripest tomato, but it’s there and many people don’t think twice about how it got there. People are very often unaware or disconnected from the journey that food takes to get to us, the resources involved and the great impact on the environment. Amy’s Kitchen receives over 50% of their vegetables from the organic gardens within 200 miles of their headquarters, some even irrigated by water from their own pond, really. What’s so great and responsible about this company and all local farmers, is that they are taking some responsibility off of the average consumer. The closer the garden is you eat from (within the US and within your community) the less waste that is involved in all areas of production and distribution. This means less cost to the environment. It’s just fact. Amy’s has something good going and we’re all benefiting. This is what the modern world requires now, mindful options made easy.