Dear Farmers To You community,
Recently I’ve been thinking about my time growing up outside Boston. My grandparents settled in Brookline when they emigrated from Greece in the early 1900s. My parents met and stayed in the area. From our home, I could see the Prudential Building and the lights of Fenway through the trees. Right now, I long for the simple, special times of my childhood.
This COVID-19 health crisis has created stress and fear for all Farmers To You families, both in Boston and Vermont. The situation, and emotion, demands me to reassess what is important and most valuable in my life.
A dear friend, and mentor, said and showed me in his actions what is important. He was from a multi-generation family of farmers. He valued the traditions and habits of those who worked the land.
This farmer friend said all he needed was healthy, fresh food, his community of family and friends, and living with the rhythm of nature’s seasons. As he sat down to a meal of simple abundance, I remember his laugh and the twinkle in his eye as he said, “this is good enough.” It was a look of perfect satisfaction.
Upon reflection, I wonder have we lost track of that simple abundance? Did we become too removed from the land and the farmers who grow our food? Is that because we don’t have the opportunity, in a grocery store, to appreciate what it takes to make something grow, for animals to thrive and to keep the soil and water healthy?
Is it possible for us to return to the wisdom of farmers and honor their work and the food they grow? Maybe the more relevant question is, do we have a choice?
At Farmers To You, we are dedicated to bridging the relationship between farmers and other families. We greatly value the people, the gift of good food, and the contribution that farmers and producers make to the health of our communities and planet.
In our present situation this is precisely what families are asking for, with urgency! Customers ask, “where does the food come from, who grew it, and is it safe?”
The fact that people ask us this question, and that we can answer that question, brings us hope. It means that we all share an understanding of how important the close connection to farmers and to land truly is. Aha!
Taking it the next step, do we each see the power of a healthy food system and how it will heal us and the earth? Double aha!
Thank you, friends, for helping to heal the earth. Yes, I’m talking to you. Maybe when we sit down at our next meal, we will take a deep breath and put aside our stress and fear, look at our simple abundance and say, “this is good enough.”
With gratitude,
Greg Georgaklis
