I must be doing something right, because I got the best mail today. After a long, full day at the farmers’ market, I went by the post office to mail something and was surprised to find two packages awaiting me. When I opened them, this is what I found:
The first package held some hand-sewn cloth “pockets” which are like an apron/fanny pack combo. Our lovely graphic designer, Jen Barbato, came up with this signature design when she became a mom and needed more places to put things. She sewed a custom jar with a heart on this pair for me. Love love. Jen says that these pockets are for “mothers, artists, gardeners, travelers and do-ers,” and she makes them in pretty patterned prints, or solid colors. I’m infamous for rocking an AARP look by wearing my fitover sunglasses and a fanny pack and some of my friends will be much relieved when I sport these adorable pockets instead. Here’s a better look.
The second package came from Chico, mailed by a friend and Mendocino native, Isa. (Funny how we’ve swapped hometowns!) She send an issue of the Edible Shasta Butte magazine, pointing me to an article about the Chico Seed Lending Library. Very cool concept which allows people to borrow and return seeds from the Butte County Library!
“Here’s how it will work. Home gardeners check out donated seeds, plant them, let some plants go to seed, and return the seeds to the library collection. No obligation, no fines – just opportunity.”
How awesome is that? We have a few great seed and scion exchanges around the county every year, but it would be wonderful to extend the concept into an organized library, available year-round. So many good ideas… but, a locavore’s got to make time to mop the floor and fold the laundry, too (which is exactly what I decided to forgo all other plans to do.) While flipping through the rest of the magazine, I found this poignant quote, which was photographed at a local dairy farm.
Then, my email inbox dinged. A friend forwarded me a message about a very clever online Farmers’ Market Recipe Generator from the New York Times.
“The Recipe Generator is essentially a one-armed bandit of ingredients and techniques, offering more than 50 combinations of things you’re most likely to find in a market or your C.S.A. basket, with recipes that make wonderful use of them.” – NYT
You start by choosing your produce item, or cooking method, or herbs, and it will concoct a recipe accordingly. Or you can select “randomize” and it will do all the thinking for you. It’s really fun to play with, check it out!
Seems to me that all of these little surprises are the law of attraction at work. The deeper we get into this year, the more good news seems to arrive on our door steps. Food connects all of us, so by getting closer to our food, we are getting closer to each other. When these little packages show up, or when strangers introduce themselves at the market just to let me know that they have been seriously moved by what we are doing, it is a concrete reminder that we are operating within the universal vein. And, when you tap into that, abundance is the law.
Eat Mendocino 
Have you heard about the seed library up in Covelo at the Round Valley Library? It is pretty darn good. We would also like to start one here at the Ukiah Library and we have the old card catalogs to use but we need help. If you know some people who would be interested in volunteering to put it together we will highlight it in the library, keep it going and do our best to make sure everyone knows about it.