It was another one of those halcyon days in San Diego, which we experience with such frequency, we almost have a collective sense of guilt, when we think about the rest of humanity, living anywhere else...(I said almost).
And for an enlightened few, this "another day in paradise" experience, was further enhanced. by the privilege of partaking in a revolutionary marketplace called the Backyard Fruit Exchange, Swap Meet.
As our bodies were warmed by the Southern Sun and cooled by the breeze wafting off Mission Bay, our hearts were filled by the simple exchange of healthy, homegrown foods, between like minded urban farmers, brought together by an idea which is at once old and new again.
Since the beginning of time, man has fished, grown, foraged for and made what he could and traded that for those resources beyond his grasp. And because the human diet is so marvelously varied, there are an endless myriad of foods that we can enjoy. The commercial marketplace has responded to this by setting up industrialized food production, that trades quality for quantity.
Furthermore, having become unwitting slaves to this system, we have been reluctantly forced to accept that the ingestion of fertilizers, antibiotics and pesticides is an unfortunate reality of modern society.
But what happened last Saturday and happens the first Saturday of every month, gave us all a glimpse into how a truly evolved, conscience-driven society could function and feed itself, while building and maintaining communal ties between neighbors. The Backyard Fruit Exchange Swap Meet is just such an experiment and judging by the turnout and the enthusiasm, it will only grow.
For our part, we brought homemade Shea butter moisturizer, passion fruit, kale and rosemary and we went home with fresh bread...yumm!, farm fresh eggs, preserves made with wine and chocolate truffles. Man, what a wonderful breakfast we whipped up after a vigorous morning of talking and trading.
11This is a trend that every town, city and community can and should begin. Many of us are blessed with unused or under-used land on our property. Land that could be used to grow, fruit and vegetables. There are so many aspects of modern society that we may feel helpless to change, but where our food comes from doesn't have to be one of them.
Come next month to the next Backyard Fruit Exchange Swap Meet, held in De Anza cove, the first Saturday of every month and become part of the movement that is as old as mankind and as new as a gorgeous Spring day in San Diego.
-Shane Eric Mathias
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