Buying Local, Growing Vocal by Innes Hope Sustainable blessings on our kitchens! May cooks be filled with renewable energy, long life apply to every appliance, every utensil sing its usefulness, and our toasters toast the health of all life on this precious planet. Innes Hope works in the arts, crafting thoughts into words, verses and recipes for a better world.
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SHIFTING SEASONS
nlike supermarkets and greenhouses, nature doesn’t provide a continual supply of everything. She wants us to tune in to her rhythms, enjoy variety, go without sometimes, and drool over her fresh creations as they come into season. Eating seasonal produce supplied by local growers is a great way to tune in. You can’t get more local than your own backyard. And you won’t have to open your wallet much at all if you grow your own fruit and vegies. Silver beet is a fabulous staple, and even a pot of herbs on the windowsill is a start. With the climate crisis disrupting our food supply and sending prices through the roof, now is the grow-your-own hour. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) calls for a 30% reduction in animal product consumption by everyone. Yes, everyone. We need to eat more plants for the sake of our planet, our health and, ultimately, so humanity can survive. But most of us can’t grow much food at home. Our commercial growers keep you and me alive. The more we can respect this, identify with them, and buy local, the better. Growers have to had to adjust to fluctuating yields and new challenges every year. But with skyrocketing costs, unpredictable financial returns, labour shortages, shifting seasons and shock after shock of extreme weather events, they’re being forced to be more inventive than ever. These ongoing trends will force us as consumers to adapt too, and the faster we do, the happier we’ll be. We’re all in the climate crisis paddock together; a field now required to yield more and emit less greenhouse gas.
REINVENTING FARMING
Open days and food events give the public a behind-thescenes look at what’s involved in providing us with food. I went on the ‘Horowhenua Taste Trail’ and loved every minute. My focus was on plant-based food, and how our local producers are rising to the challenges climate change is hurling their way.
30 wholefoodliving.life | Autumn 2023
Where I live, tornadoes and hail the size of golf balls have been tearing infrastructure apart, and floods and droughts are threatening soil-grown crops. Many growers across the country are going through the mill, and they know extreme weather challenges are going to increase. I thought I’d see concern and bravery on our local grower’s faces. Instead, they were full of enthusiasm and kiwi ‘number 8 wire’ attitude. I didn’t find animal-food producers who are replacing their stock with plants or food crops for people. But at least reinventing horticulture is on the menu. Ten of the sixteen participating businesses were producing plant-based food. Fantastic! Genoese Foods, here in my hometown, Levin, was one of the first NZ companies to make plant-based pesto. It contains a generous amount of basil, which, for various reasons, had to be grown in Fiji. They reinvented systems so they can use locally grown basil. This significantly reduced the company’s food mile footprint and created work for local people. Creativity and experimentation are also all go at Lewis Farms. This family business supplies New Zealand with ‘Tendertips’ asparagus. Like several companies who are thinking ahead, their crop sites are spread across the district to provide some protection against isolated climate events. Now they also grow strawberries - in grow-bags, off ground at easy-harvest height, so workers don’t have to break their backs bending down to the soil. The under-cover method protects these juicy treats from harsh weather and extends the seasonal supply. Energy use is lower than an enclosed greenhouse because heating and cooling is not needed. Geoff Lewis was buzzing with excitement as he showed me around. Seaweed is added in the nutrient mix to provide natural trace minerals. Grow bags and nutrient runoff are recycled for reuse. Biological pest control means no chemical sprays. I found all this impressive, considering it is not an organic farm. Staff enjoy being creative in the new farm kitchen, too,
