One of the advantages that I enjoy living in the Philippines
is that the majority of our food comes from a local market. This isn't a market
like most in the US or Even Europe would think of. It would equate best to the
markets like we see in movies of Old England or Flee markets in the US.
They are loud, claustrophobic, and a pure joy to shop at.
Meat is cut by hand in front of you. Fish are still swimming and breathing when
you buy them and vegetables and fruits are fresh picked, seven days a week.
Best of all you can meet and get to know the people that are
growing your food. If you have questions, they answer them and most will invite
you to their farms for visits.
Organic Food Joy
Being a people person and knowing a visit here usually
involves a drinking session. I have gotten very friendly with several of the
farmers we buy from. They are not only wonderful people to get to know but they
are organic farmers and don't even realize it.
Big corporate farms here are limited to a few export
important crops and the majority of food is still grown on small family run
farms. The farmers grow a mix of crops and animals, not only for their
livelihood but their own sustenance.
They have little concept of what we would call heritage
breeds or organic farming methods. What they do have is generations of farming
tradition. They save their own seeds breed their own stock and use one to feed
the other. That is where this story gets interesting.
Good Advice
I was talking with one of my friends. Her family grows the
most delicious tomatoes you have ever tasted. I asked her where I could get
some seeds and she just handed me a tomato and told me, with a smile, the seeds
were inside. When I asked for advice about growing them she told me "for
good tomatoes, raise chickens".
That was the beginning for our little microfarm. Next time
I'll tell where we went from there.
