Why should we use them and where can we find them?
There is a perpetual debate within Druidry about the ethically problematic choice of where to buy our food. Should we ..
- always buy organic produce, ensuring that we are not complicit in the abuse of the environment, either through the use of pesticides, fertilisers and herbicides on the land or through the abhorrent practices of the chemical companies, usually massive multinational who operate outside of the law. Organic food is said to be better for us, growing with and retaining more nutrients. Organic farms tend to be smaller, supporting communities and employees more ethically. Organic producers across the world are often better dealt with than those supplying the mass market.
- always buy local food, ensuring that we are complicit in the unnecessary transport of food, whether by road, air or boat, adding to the carbon footprint of each bite that we take.
Many folk in the Druid community will balance these two issues carefully, always ensuring they know how their food was grown, and where. Local organic vegetable box schemes are a wonderful source of organic foods, and many only supply fruit and vegetables from local sources, doing all the work for you. Supermarkets not only treat all farmers with autocratic disdain, whether organic or not, but cater for fashion: they'll provide a little bit of organic food (usually packaged in plastic), or let you know what is British-grown, but only because they think you'll like it. They are still making their profits from the exploitation of the land and community.
Farmers' markets are a great way of buying really locally grown food. And what a wonderful way of exploring the spirits of the land, the song of the mud that blesses us, the taste of the rain that has fallen over our homes: such rich Druidic principles. At a farmers' market it is possible to talk with the folk involved in the farming, and to make exchange in a direct way with the folk who have grown the food itself.
Yes, organic boxes and local grown food usually means that we have a limited choice. Yet our seasonal festivals draw us to remember the blessings of each moment of the year, and eating seasonal food emphasises those blessings. When we've been eating old potatoes for four months, what a delight when the first new tatties come out of the ground in May. When the first broad beans arrive, the first courgette, how sweet they are, what a delight! And when strawberries or sweetcorn are only available for three weeks of the year, what a feast they are, what a sound reason for celebration.
A simple way to find a local farmers' market online is on this Directory of Farmers Markets page.
