FARMING, FAILURE AND FAITH Food system failures in 2018 and subsequent recalls in North America included massive quantities of romaine lettuce from the Yuma Arizona growing region; 200 million white eggs distributed by Rose Acres Farms from a farm in North Carolina; and Kellogg’s voluntarily recalled 1.3 million cases of Kellogg’s Honey Smacks. People got sick and some died. Local organic food movements offer an alternative to the large scale, impersonal, industrial food system and are like seeds of hope. Communities are embracing concepts such as knowing where your food comes from, knowing about food safety and knowing your farmers. Food safety remains a priority and a challenge in the local movement as well. Consumers should be aware of safe food handling practices at all times. Mary Hutten, volunteer manager of the Lettuce Eat Well Farmers’ Market on Cincinnati’s West Side, fell in love with the local food movement so that she and her family could eat well and have choices such as a diet with “no synthetic chemicals.” Mary’s job brings local consumers and local producers together and values the community building aspect of a farmers’ market. Conversations about flexibility, creativity and alternatives abound. Concepts such as eating seasonally and eating regionally have become pervasive. To prepare for scarcity, Mary invites us to preserve the abundant local harvest as it comes in. Canning, jarring, freezing and fermenting offer opportunities to save and store. Enjoy a jar of August harvested Ohio sweet corn in the middle of February. Imagine tasting thawed June harvested local strawberries at Christmas dinner. Steve Willis, farmer and owner with his wife, Barb, of Just Farmin’ in Butler County, grew up on a farm. He left agriculture for a career in manufacturing engineering
Faith Food
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Former Procter Farm Manager Bethany McCarty.
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