21 Nov From Farm to Table: A Day in the Life of Kale
Yawn.
I’ve been here for, I don’t know, what feels like forever now? The sun’s coming out and I am bored out of my mind. I miss my friends. A few of them were been chosen and taken away the other day.
And don’t worry, this isn’t some Hunger Games situation. My friends are in the early stages of ultimately reaching every kale plant’s dream: to be adopted by some nice family and to star in our own dish.
A little about me.
My name is Kaylee. My siblings and I—each a leaf—were conceived in May of 2014, and we’ve been growing big and tall ever since. I live in a farm owned by this really nice man.
He treats us well, watering us when we need to be watered, planting more kale so that none of us are ever lonely. He even stays hunched over for hours on end to make sure those pesky weeds are gone.
Freed up from the roots up
It’s getting pretty chilly these days. We’re getting fewer hours of sunlight, so I guess this means that autumn is coming soon. Not like I’ve ever experienced winter; I was planted in May. It’s just what I hear happens.
Well, well, well.
Here comes The Farmer and his team, inspecting each one of us, making sure that we’re in the perfect condition. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I feel like I’ve been looking pretty good.
The Farmer is eyeing my siblings and I. Now prodding, he’s ensuring that each of us leaves are strong and sturdy.
This is it. My siblings are carefully and gently clipped, and taken away. We’re placed onto the tractor, and off I go, into the first chapter of the next part of my little life.
A much needed bath
From the kale farm, we were transported to this building where they’re making sure we’re prim and proper. May I add that tractors are awesome? That was the most fun I’ve had, riding on that thing.
Awkwardly enough, a few of our neighbours didn’t make the cut. The Farmer’s team sifted through each one of us by hand, making sure that those creepy insects hadn’t chewed right through us. It’s been about four hours; these people work hard.
Mmmm, this feels nice. We’ve all been placed under some ice-cold running water, cleaning all of us off and making sure we’re soil-free. I imagine it’s what being under a waterfall would be like, but what do I know? I’m a kale leaf.
Squeaky clean and ready to go, we’re tucked snuggly into containers to be taken somewhere far and exotic… like Safeway, or maybe even Whole Foods!
My new home
We’ve made few stops, but I’m still on the truck. I wonder where I’ll end up. Luckily, there are quite a few kale farms around where I’m from, so I don’t think we’re traveling too far.
I mean, not that I’ve read any reports or books on the issue, but I hear that the transportation of food is not doing the environment many favors.
There’s some movement now—I think we’re finally heading to my new home! From farm to supermarket, it’s been a long day, but I’m excited for someone to come take me home.
As the farm-to-table movement takes over, we’re seeing better food farming and shipping practices.
While many are making more committed efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and promote more sustainable practices, you can further that effort by growing in an Urban Cultivator.
Baby kale can be quickly and easily grown in an Urban Cultivator unit, giving you the ability to harvest in as little as two weeks.
How do you think we can better improve the way we grow and acquire food? Let us know in the comments section!