At the farmers’ market, I spotted foods I hadn’t seen before. One farmer’s market display housed more garlic types than I had ever seen. I knew the basic squashes, but in the market were squashes in many different colors and shapes.
We can go to the grocery store and exclaim there, too, about the diversity of creation. But there is something about seeing just how many things grow around you, tended by hands you now have the opportunity to shake. The same God who created Easter egg radishes and romanesco broccoli created us – with just as much difference in personality and flavor. I believe that honoring all that biodiversity – in food and in ourselves – can be an act of worshiping our Creator God.
Supporting local farmers matters beyond biodiversity. When we choose to spend ethically (as we are able), we help growers who are finding ways to be good stewards of creation. One purchase can seem like a small thing, yet the ripples can be great.
This message is excerpted from “At the farmer’s market” by Cara Strickland in the July/August 2020 Gather magazine.
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