At the Table - More thoughts from the road by Diane

August 14.

Almost two weeks into the tour and, I have to say, this is one memorable experience. We’ve gone from harvesting our own wheat at
Pie Ranch in Pescadero, CA, so we could make our own pies, to standing in a herd of pasture-raised dairy cows in Chico to having dinner on top of a mountain in Washington State, with the rolling land around us gold from just-harvested wheat.

Right now we’re driving through Montana on our way to Missoula. I’ve never been to this part of the country before and all I can say is, how majestic! Tall, deep green pine trees are standing at attention, covering mountain upon mountain that surround us. It’s a far cry from the hustle and bustle of New York City. New York and my city life simply don’t exist right now.

So two weeks in and what have we learned or discovered? I don’t think I’m discovering as much as I’m affirming. There’s so much more going on in the sustainable, local food world than people realize that it’s only a matter of time before it becomes mainstream and consumers won’t think twice about going to their local farmers market. (I know, I know, there are big problems with the food system, but I’m a big believer in demand creating supply, and I’m here to tell you that the demand for local, sustainable food is increasing more and more each year.)

One of our events was a tour of Eaton Natural Beef Ranch in Colton, Washington, and dinner on top of a mountain on their property. Besides the view of a golden wheat-covered paradise surrounding us, 100 plus people got together to sit on hay bales or chairs at linen-covered tables to enjoy a fabulous meal of beef, lentils (a huge crop in the state of Washington), green beans, potatoes, just-baked bread, and pie. I asked the couple sitting across from us, both ex-military and not what you might think of as sustainable food aficionados, why they had come. The wife replied she didn’t know much, if really anything, about sustainable food and came to learn more because she was getting interested in it– and to have a good meal. That’s one thing we’re hoping to do while on the road – to be able to speak with people who are new to sustainable food to find out what they know or what they want to know, and to try to share what information we have with them (or to go back to our office and create materials they’re looking for).

Another exciting part about this trip is that we seem to be helping start up traditions in some towns. When we visited Ashland, Oregon, we had an iron pie competition. Four chefs were given 25 dollars each and set loose in the farmers market. They had three hours to shop, bake and cool a pie, which was then judged. The competition was so successful that the groups who organized it are thinking of doing this every year.

Also, our dinner at Eaton Ranch on the mountain was so successful that they would like to host more events like this, to educate people about sustainability and also to share good food with others in the community. And last night’s Pie Walk and celebration at Liberty Lake outside Spokane, WA, is looking to be an annual event. Local pie bakers and growers came together with area residents to share pie and a little time with each other. It was a community event, with hundreds of people (and lots of children!) eating pie and ice cream and learning more about sustainable food. The highlight of the evening was a pie walk – 20 people stood on numbers and walked in a circle until the band stopped playing. A number was then drawn and whoever was standing on the corresponding number won a pie. (If you know what a cake walk is, it’s the same thing but with pie.) They were being held every 45 minutes or so and were so popular that people were lining up on a number half an hour in advance so they could participate.

Another exciting part of the trip is that our visits to towns have brought local groups together, some who haven’t worked together before. We’ve heard after our events that they’re hoping to do more together in the future, so we’re grateful to be able to play any part in bringing local groups together. (And we hope they invite us back to future events!...)

So whereas my last post was about the gratitude we felt, two weeks in and I can say that community is growing and thriving at least in the areas we’ve visited. We went with a volunteer from Growing Gardens in east Portland to visit a family they helped by providing materials and assistance to plant a vegetable garden in their backyard. There we saw people reaching out from all sides to help each other, which is what community is all about. We felt the same sense of neighborliness at City Slickers Farm in east Oakland, where the food grown at the urban farm is sold on a sliding scale, so area residents pay what they want, or don’t have to pay if they can’t afford it, no questions asked. That’s true sustainability and community to me. In addition, to see people on the ground, volunteering or working for little money, help so many others in different ways to provide food or provide access to food is nothing short of inspiring.

I’m sure programs like these have been around for a while, but I feel like it’s all coming back with a new energy and passion. People are looking beyond just getting a paycheck and making money to a general quality of life that includes getting to know your neighbors and being involved in your local community. And through our Sustainable Table lens, they’re all coming back around food. And being sustainable means being connected to community.

We’re almost in Missoula now (the smoke from the wildfires has started to descend), so we’re definitely off the more progressive coast and headed into the heart of the country. I’ll touch base again in a few days to let you know what’s happening in the west and Midwest.

If you’d like to keep up with us daily, please visit our
Road Trip site. Not only do we have blog posts, we have video, photos and even audio podcasts that you can listen to – and we’d love you to leave a comment or share a story with us. Join us on tour!

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