It all started with a peach.
I was making dinner -- roast beef, potatoes and gravy and carrots -- and peach cobbler made with fresh peaches. As I worked on the cobbler, it occurred to me how life has changed in the past 50 years. More specifically how our food supply has changed.
I live in northern Wisconsin and it's going to be 2 months, maybe more, until we see fresh local peaches. My grandmother would never have thought to have fresh peaches at this time of the year. Yet there I stood slicing those fragrant fresh peaches. Those peaches probably came from someplace in the south -- most likely Georgia.
Then I thought about the rest of the meal. Beef from Iowa. Carrots from the Imperial Valley of California. Because the meal was so simple, I drizzled the carrots with a touch of maple syrup from Vermont and lightly sprinkled them with pecans from Alabama. The flour in the gravy and the cobbler came from Kansas. The potatoes happened to be the final ones from last year's garden. And milk? Well, that would be pretty local (since I live in the Dairy state!).
Every day, all across America, Moms fix dinner, taking for granted that everything they need will be at arm's reach ... and if not, a quick stop at the grocery store will provide it. It's become so common for us, we don't even think about it anymore. My kids have never known a time when they couldn't get fresh fruits and vegetables. My grandma had to preserve everything she would need until next year's harvest.
In the insanity of everyday life, sometimes it's good to stop and think about how we are blessed ... and be simply thankful.
