For those of you who asked me to write reflections from the road between Santa Fe, NM and Montpelier, VT, my apologies that this comes so belatedly. The 2,400 miles are finally being shaken off----as they followed closely upon packing and putting things in storage-----again. In many ways it still feels like a long time since anything felt normal and I admit to being a fish-out-of-water;....no pun intended, but things stay quite damp here. Fruit is more likely to mold---than petrify---if left too long on the counter.......and towels never dry.
The reference to onions in the title of this blog is somewhat humorous. Heading east from Albuquerque on Rte. 40, a semi-truck with a huge, tarped load of bagged onions became a frequent traveling companion for miles and miles across the Texas panhandle and all of Oklahoma. On the highway entry ramp, beginning the second day on the road (from Tulsa, OK), a large bag of onions rested where it had fallen, I assumed from my travel companion. When I caught up with the onion semi, somewhere in Missouri, I wasn't surprised. Somewhere between St Louis and Indiana, the truck vanished. Where did the onions end up? Felt like warning someone, somewhere that the onions are coming, the onions are coming!!!
While all those onions set me to thinking about grilled onions--I thought of that a lot, it was also noted that no one needs to cart onions over all those miles. Don't know where they started out or where they were headed, but onions grow most everywhere, so all that transport is pretty ridiculous. In the US, there is a lot of traipsing produce from coast to coast. The day will arrive when that will be seen as a waste of fuel. Food security will need to be closer to home.
A couple years ago, I marveled as then one year old Isla crawled between rows of green beans and cherry tomatoes in the front yard---that is where the sun is---picking and eating fresh produce. At her young age---still with no vocabulary and no word for food---she knew where food comes from. The front yard, don't ya' know!!
Carrying this food theme further, I'd like you to know that food production is going on at the Vermont State Capitol grounds. Cara tells me it is free for the taking---should you need that---and that there is a group in Vermont planting similar plots on corporate grounds, too. What is not harvested by those in need is harvested for them and taken to food banks. Vermonters walk their talk!
And when I asked Cara where I might find Whole Foods (I know that isn't politically correct, but I am accustomed to shopping there), I expected her to say in Burlington---about 50 minutes away. Her answer was, "there are none in Vermont." I googled that and did find it is true. Haven't seen a Starbucks yet, either! And Montpelier has no fast food establishments (which I do not frequent)---as far as I can see. Again, Vermonters walk their talk. No wonder it is considered the healthiest state.
Carrying further on the theme of food. I have actually witnessed Cara biking off to the Food Co-op. Arriving by bike, she is given an extra 5% off her grocery bill. Cara's family lives up hill from the co-op---way up hill; just so you can get the full picture.
I will soon share more from the 2,400 mile road trip and my first couple weeks here.
Ciao, Elizabeth
