Craving Green and Discovering Heart Nourishment

Amidst the greyness of mid-winter I always begin to crave green.  Not only do my eyes crave the brightness and hope of the colour appearing on the land and in the trees but I crave green foods as well.  Perhaps my body knows something about the power of chlorophyll for my health.  I remember that the molecules of chlorophyll and hemoglobin are identical except for two atoms.  Chlorophyll is built around magnesium and hemoglobin is built around iron.  I’m not sure how that translates into health, but I imagine that my blood misses it’s close relative and begins to pine for it.  Perhaps this is a bit lyrical, but it's February!

I have been trying to eat what is in season and what is local as much as possible.  Except for bananas and citrus fruits.  I am no extremist.  I am just experimenting with how much local food I can actually find.  The farmer’s market is a good place to get local eggs, cheese, sausages from local pork, bread and seasonal vegetables.  At the supermarket, I have sourced local greenhouse cucumbers and tomatoes. I also froze local beans, cauliflower, asparagus and pumpkins in the fall.

So, imagine my glee at rediscovering a local hydroponic growing operation called, Operation Grow.  This business has been developing over a few years and they sell to local restaurants.  However, they are gearing up their retail side of things and are now open five days a week for shopping.  Using tall vertical racks of hydroponic pots, they are growing lettuce, kale, spinach, arugula, as well as a selection of fresh herbs.  They are also creating pesto and other garnishes as well as soups, salad dressings, cookies and brownies made with some of the plants grown on the site.

Food grown hydroponically means a year-round supply, no use of pesticides or herbicides,70 - 80% less use of water while LED lights provide 12 – 18 hours of light daily.  

But the story gets better.  Operation Grow is a business run by Huronia Transition Homes (HTH) which also runs La Maison Rosewood Shelter in Midland for women experiencing domestic violence.   Women who are transitioning out of the shelter can find low-barrier work and connection with other people by working at the hydroponic farm.  Up to 27 people can work there within a week as well as a full-time cultivator.  Proceeds from this business help to fund programs at HTH which seeks to end violence against women.  And it is ironic to know that Operation Grow was all built inside an old LCBO building since alcohol use is linked to domestic violence.

After reading about Operation Grow in the local Midland newspaper, we happily fed my craving for green by buying two kinds of lettuce, fresh parsley as well as a jar of sweet potato and kale soup.  We intend to go back every week and support this amazing initiative.  As we munched the salad we made from the lettuce and enjoyed the lovely soup, we felt nourished in our bodies and our hearts.  The food felt like nourishment for a better world.  What a creative way to help women rewrite their own stories and create better lives.

I also came across this video by Sarah MacGillvray who performs this spoken word piece, challenging the stereotype of the term "old hag".  Check it out as yet another story of women is rewritten.