This summer, Diane, Becky, Eileen, and I decided to support our local sustainable farmers in a different way. We made an effort to spend every Friday at
Whitewater Gardens is a small sustainable farm a few miles outside of Winona where, on 136 acres, the Dietz family raises vegetables, ducks, and cows to name a few. The vegetables themselves are only 10 to 15 acres of the operation while the rest of the space is pasture, resting garden plots, land set aside permanently, as well as some stands of hardwood trees. The small family accomplishes the vast majority of the work on its own in order to make the farm what it is.
The Winona Catholic Worker has been the beneficiary of the Dietz family’s generosity and hard work, as they supply our houses with an unbelievable amount of produce that is not suitable to sell at market or simply an overabundance for them. We offer much of the produce to our guests and friends at the house and frequently use it at home in our evening meals. What is left over we distribute to our local food shelf as well as to friends and former guests at the subsidized housing units in
Our new degree of involvement at the farm has been a blessing for us this summer. Over the past three months we have had many workdays, plenty of fabulous farm lunches, and many great conversations. Working in the fields or sitting around the table with Sandy and Lonnie and their family has taught us much about living a better life in this troubled world. It has also taught us some very important lessons about the value of manual labor, the beauty of variety in food, and the superiority of flavor in local produce.
Though physically grueling at times, manual labor in the form of farming is a very important act. The discussion of the spiritual, physical, and communal significance of farming has been happening for thousands of years and will for thousands to come. Farming and manual labor have always had specific significance to the Catholic Worker Movement, due in large part to Peter Maurin. Our work at the farm this summer has been a refreshing lesson in the benefit of manual labor for the body and soul. We have also reveled in the opportunity to work together as community with our hands in the dirt.
Until this summer, tomatoes have always come in a few varieties, namely, cherry, roma and slicer. Walking through the Dietzs’ tomato patch leaves one in awe of nature. Of the 300 plus heirloom plants growing, there are dozens of varieties ranging in color from yellow to pink to black all of which can trace their seed lines back many years sometimes as long as a century. In all of our desire for freedom of choice, we have been quite sheltered by our supermarkets who often offer only one variety of many fruits and vegetables. Not only do we have a renewed appreciation for local farmers like Lonnie and Sandy who dare to provide something new and different for our eyes and mouths, we are grateful for our farmers market, which provides a venue where we can truly choose our food.
Another discovery that this summer brought was that the Dietzs’ carrots can win over even the most serious junk food addicts. On a recent Friday night visit to public housing for our food handout two little girls on bicycles were eating Bomb Pops. They came over and, just like every other week, asked what we had in the van. At this Eileen, asked if they had ever seen a purple carrot. The girls approached and each gladly took a carrot and proceeded to take a large bite revealing the familiar orange glow underneath the odd purple skin. Meanwhile their Bomb Pops were left neglected melting all over their hands while they enjoyed their carrots. Both girls went home that night with a bag full of carrots to share with their families.
The amount of nutrition in foods produced locally by growers who value sustainable methods are far superior in nutrition than conventional foods. Our diets can improve immensely by filling them with a variety of local heirloom fruits and vegetables. However, we can ensure the maximum nutrition from local foods by preparing them in certain ways. Vegetables and fruits eaten in their raw states are often more nutritious than cooked. This is not to say that cooking fruits and vegetables is bad, its not. Be mindful so as to not overcook your food. But before even getting to that part try not peel root vegetables in an effort to preserve substantial nutrition.
Other important lessons from the farm in addition to not peeling local organic vegetables, is that EVERYONE deserves the best when it comes to fresh produce. The amount of nutrition in the food from
Oh, and one last thing. We would like to congratulate the Dietz family on being selected by the
mike leutgeb munson
