Harrumph!

In a season of reveling, we particularly revel in both flowers and fresh fruit — out of place and out of season. These are bad or even sins according to some.

A New Age-ish friend goes on, as New Age types are wont, about the wisdom and even necessity of eating locally and seasonally. It’s great for the blood and bowels as well as politics, he has it.

This can be very confusing. We read that a train of fruit and veggies from California or Florida uses far less energy and pollutes far less than many local version though. A guy with a pickup or panel truck driving a few bushels of produce 50 or 100 or 200 miles is far heavier in carbon footprint per unit. The alleged internal wisdom of the body on what it consumes is another, moot, matter.

We do know that the Haymarket’s offerings of citrus from the South or Israel, berries from the West or Chili brighten the table as well as the spirit. Likewise, unnaturally cultivated, out-of-season blooms are artificially augmented joy on gloomy and short days.

I suppose that means I’m a coot who’s pleased by simpleminded appreciation of objects.

Tags: harrumph, harrumpher, carbon+footprint, flowers, fruit