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Leslie Allen
Reno, Nevada
I was born in California, and have fond memories of homegrown tomatoes and freshly caught crawdads. My family moved a lot when I was growing up. I even lived on the East coast for a while. More about Leslie
Laura Solorio
Salinas, California
I am third in a line of strong Yaqui women. My grandmother was from Baja California, from the town of Santa Rosalia. She came to the United States as a young woman, with her first child, escaping an abusive husband. More about Laura
Scott Swendsen
Boise, Idaho
I am in my late 40's and single and a bit selfish. Having no children and no spouse has allowed me to pretty much explore life in a much different way than most families would. More about Scott
Paulette Thompson
Seattle, Washington
I, P. Thompson, also known as Paulette, love food. It should not surprise you that I love to cook and eat good food. I also love talking about it, thinking about it, and reading about it. More about Paulette
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Something to Overcome
Posted at 9:45 AM on April 4, 2008 by Leslie Allen (1 Comments)
I was recently asked what my biggest obstacle has been for this project. I have given it some serious thought, and my answer has little to do with farmland and seasons, and a whole lot to do with topography.
When I drew my 150 mile food-shed map for 2008, I was jumping up and down for joy because Sacramento, Yuba City, Red Bluff and many other fabulous farm towns were within my reach. For whatever reason, the 10,000 foot barrier to the west of Reno didn't enter my mind.
Sure, there are plenty of excellent and sustainable farms with 150 miles of Reno; and many have tasty and nutritious winter greens. However, there is something that must be overcome to get to them. This obstacle has stymied many people before me, and one very, very famous group of settlers. You may have heard of these unfortunate travelers, the obstacle I must overcome is named after them - Donner Summit.
Now, I am in NO WAY comparing my winter of discontent to the Donner party. James and I aren't eyeing each other that way! But, even with a modern highway traversing the Sierra Nevada, it is has been difficult getting to California farmland during the winter, and there aren't any farmers cresting the summit to bring winter greens to Reno.
It does make me wonder, how can it be more affordable to ship or fly food from the southern hemisphere to Reno rather than have local food transported by truck or train? In this modern age of efficient transportation it is so interesting that mountain ranges are still a major obstacle that must be overcome.
Comments (1)
The economics of transportation are very strange, we have organic green beans from China at our "local" CostCo and all the winter squash in our area is from Mexico, I would of thought anyone could grow that stuff.......Glad James is not THAT tasty of a morsel...we often shopped at Newcastle produce and drove by Donner Lake and had the lovely mandarin oranges.......hmmmmm...bit of nostalgia, Thanks, Vera
Posted by vera schabicki | April 6, 2008 9:03 PM