You probably don't know how much I love the sound of the words, Cumberland County.  My experience of being here these past 25 years is a feeling of freedom of soul. 

I am grateful for my low-income life that is simple to live, how I don't need to shop at big-box stores.  Because of the food co-op and all of my friends, gathering food (what others call shopping for groceries) is a low-stress, comforting experience that centers around human relationship.  My animal-foods (meat, dairy, eggs) are all provided by farmers, in person.  I visit the farm and get what we need.  It feels good to give money to these local providers. With each payment I am telling them: I value what you do.  I am grateful for trustworthy providers who meet my high standards of healthy natural animal food. 

My husband Greg also gardens and he brings to the table so many more vegetables, too.  Our garden produce is now in the freezer, and home-canned in jars.  I dried strawberries in our home food dehydrator. We also receive even more, different vegetables each Monday, delivered by CSA farmers in the county; as well as a new bouquet of dazzling flowers to sit on our kitchen table.

I am living in a food paradise.  Are you too?  It is all around you, but maybe you haven’t connected with it!  You may never have thought about such things.  Sometimes I think; this way of gathering food is something so good, I wish it were also true for everybody in this county.  Think of how so many more farmers could be supported, if all the money that flows through the grocery stores went directly to our neighborhood producers instead.

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