I think I speak for many Manitobans when I say that there’s no better feeling than getting your hands on some fresh summer produce after emerging from a long, cold, and dark winter. If you’re lucky, you have the space, means, and patience to grow your own fruits and veggies. If not, Winnipeg provides ample opportunities to purchase locally grown produce by visiting farmers’ markets and purchasing a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box. In both of these situations, we have the opportunity to grow our relationship with the land, with our community, and with ourselves.
Our relationship with the land is one that is based on coexistence. We cannot simply take and take without giving back. As Robin Wall Kimmerer shared in her book Braiding Sweetgrass, “gifts from the earth or from each other establish a particular relationship, an obligation of sorts to give, receive, and to reciprocate.” When it comes to the land that grows our food, it is imperative that we recognize and respect the value it holds and take care of it so that it takes care of us.
For the second year in a row, our Leadership team at Narratives has generously purchased a farm share from Prairie Lights Shared Farm for our staff. Every week from June to October, our team receives a bountiful harvest of locally grown organic vegetables and herbs. Leadership at Narratives has always found these fun ways of letting our team know that we’re appreciated (and that we need to eat more vegetables) while also giving back to the community.
Participating in a local CSA share has a multitude of benefits that form connections across our lives:
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Connection to Land: Participating in a CSA cultivates a deeper appreciation and understanding of where our food comes from. It connects us back to the land it came from. For millennia, humankind has been cultivating land and growing food as a means of sustenance. Whether we are harvesting or growing, it is the ultimate connection to the land. For myself, getting out in nature through activities such as hiking and kayaking brings me close to the land, but nothing brings me closer than being in my garden and growing my own food. From starting seeds in my kitchen while the cold still bites outside, transplanting small seedlings into the soil, to watching a plant grow big and strong, caring for its needs, to harvesting those first few radishes, tomatoes, and heads of lettuce, I feel at peace, as if the land and I are working together.
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Connection to Community: We don’t just grow for ourselves, we grow for our community. Sometimes, the veggies I plant don’t work out (my carrots for the past four years, for example), and we turn to our local farmers’ markets or CSAs. This opens a space to chat with local growers, to purchase what’s in season, and to reduce our environmental impact by shopping local. Through our email updates from Prairie Lights Shared Farm, we gain insight into seasonal growing cycles, agricultural practices, and the challenges and rewards of organic farming. When purchasing from a local farmer it brings together a larger community of folks who care for the land and want to support farmers who produce in a good way.
Farm delivery day at Narratives is a frenzy, with our staff rushing to the kitchen to see what goodies have been delivered. It brings our Narratives community a little bit closer together as we wrestle over heirloom tomatoes, share recipes for garlic scapes, and swap stories from our own gardens at home and from growing up.
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Connection to Self: To me, growing my own food, purchasing from a local farmers’ market, and participating in the Prairie Lights farm share, I inherently become more conscious of the effort and resources it takes to grow my food and the care that went into the relationship with the land. I’m more conscious of how much I purchase, how I use it, and how I store it, in order to reduce waste. It teaches me to be mindful of what I’m putting in my body, encourages my culinary creativity with seasonal ingredients, and promotes a healthier lifestyle. It makes me stop and think about where my food is coming from, how it got there, and what hands helped raise it. It brings me back to centre and reaffirms my own commitment to doing things, and growing things, in a good way.
As our team receives our first few deliveries, we are reminded to reflect on the journey our food travels before it reaches our plates and the care that went into getting it there. We are reminded that we need to nourish our earth just as it nourishes us. For the Narratives team, supporting the Prairie Lights Shared Farm CSA reaffirms our commitment to living in harmony with the land, building coexistence, and doing things in a good way.