September 12th and Victory Gardens

by Jas Faulkner

September Twelfth always has a tinge of emotional hangover to it.  As each succeeding 9-12 since Nine-Twelve-Oh-One passes, there is has been a decreasing shock about the 3,000 person-shaped hole in who we were as a tribe and more about who we intend to be in the future. As a people, our circumstance, has been shaped by equal parts natural progression and determination to determine ourselves on our own terms.  Our most American of characteristics, our rugged, sometimes bloody-minded individuality is part of what moves us to look for better ways to take care of ourselves.

Localtarianism is one expression of that stubborn streak that keeps us from giving in and going under in the face of opposition from big business and those who seek the approval/protection they perceive to be the advantages of living in the shadow of corporations.  We continue to look for ways to take care of ourselves and engage our neighbors as we support their efforts to create sustainable local economy based on production that gives us a first hand look at the intricacies of how what we buy is made.  We have striven to know the farmer in the next county, the herbalists and the chicken enthusiasts and the artisans and the neighborhood know-it-all.

 This sort of urban agricultural renaissance really isn't anything new.  The Victory Gardens of the 1940s' inspired a generation to adopt kitchen gardening as a way to supplement the limited food that was available.  It was a practical, healthy way to live and one that afforded Americans the chance to make a positive statement about the strength and resilience of those back on the home front.

At its heart, this was the first wave of the American Green Revolution.  It was the age of everyone from the President to GI Joe to Rosie the Riveter and her mother who not only kept hearth and home but proved she was as tough as Dad and Joe when it came to dealing with challenging times; all because she and they could.  Without really considering it that way, this was sustainability in action.  This is what American character looks like in the real world.  It is what an American who is conscious of how we can help ourselves and help others learns how to think globally and reach out to help.  This is what needs to be reclaimed: feeding ourselves and supporting our neighbors.

All of this makes what happens at farmers markets, local food co-ops and businesses like The Turnip Truck that much more miraculous.  It is not just a cultural survival, but a return to currency for what worked in the past and maintains us. Supporting area farmers and those businesses that foster taking an active part in local food production is and always has been an original "patriot act".  Get back to your roots, both literally and figuratively and visit your local farmers market for produce and goods to help you grow your own!