THIS week, Jennifer Allen guest writes on Food For Thought to tell us about Terra Madre and its connection to Slow Food.
“Terra Madre, or Mother Earth day, falls on December 10. But what’s it all about? Terra Madre is one very significant aspect of the Slow Food movement, consisting of a broad, global network of food producers, cooks and experts, who share a passion for preserving food diversity in all its shapes and sizes.
We are becoming increasingly reliant on an increasingly diminished array of foods, with an ever lengthening chain between us and whoever produced those foods. Obviously, from a gastronomic viewpoint, being restricted to a tiny window of generic foods is bland and not very inspiring. But, on a more profound level, lack of diversity can have serious economic and environmental consequences. In the natural environment, if one food fails, there are so many others to choose from, it doesn’t pose any significant risk. If, however, a whole community relies on growing one food, failure of that one crop can spell disaster. Likewise, the more alienated from our food supply we become as consumers, the less control we have over how that food is created and the consequences if our supply is cut off.
Rather than lamenting this potentially negative scenario though, let’s shine a light on the wonderful richness of foods we have on our doorstep.
A few years ago, two students from the Organic College in Dromcollogher were out strolling and foraging in Springfield, co Limerick, when they came across an apple tree. This tree, with its distinctive very large yellow apples, with some fruits weighing over a pound, was unfamiliar to either of them. They investigated the puckered, ribbed apples further, only to find no record existed of such a variety. A new star was born! Appletown Wonder is now on the list of native apple varieties at Seedsavers in Scariff, along with about 140 others. Add to that 600 heirloom varieties of vegetables, 48 heirloom grain varieties and an heirloom potato collection and you have a stunning testament to the diversity and abundance of wonderful foods available on our doorstep,if we take the time to look after them. And Seedsavers has certainly done that. Founded by Anita Hayes in 1991, Seedsavers main aim is the conservation of Irelands very special and threatened plant genetic resources. Their focus is on the preservation of heritage varieties, suitable for Irelands growing conditions. This is a key Slow Food principle, where local is king. Combine that with the skill and knowledge in cultivating these precious crops which has come from the years of patience and hardwork of Seedsavers staff and volunteers and you see how Seedsavers is the living embodiment of what Terra Madre is all about. Having the flavourful, resilient seeds will only get you so far, after all, without the ability to grow them well. Not alone does Seedsavers provide manuals on the art of seedsaving, it also holds workshops on organic gardening, orchard creation, cheesemaking and beekeeping, skills which have stood us well since the earliest monks embraced them, yet seem outrageously foreign to a generation of die-hard supermarket shoppers.
So how can you play your part for Terra Madre? Well, it doesn’t have to involve foraging for heritage varieties of apples, unless you want to, of course. You could support a local grower who produces heritage varieties of food. You could leave the mangetout from Kenya on the shelf and ask your supermarket to provide locally produced vegetables instead. Or you could write to your local TD, asking them to support small scale producers and growers in getting a fair price for their work. Or maybe you want to take a community group on a trip to Scariff to have a look at the amazing work of Seedsavers firsthand. Who knows, some of you might be inspired to join up and get your own heritage seeds to plant. Our future heritage starts now. What would you like it to be?”
