Building a Basil Economy: Growing, Gleaning, Gifting

…Much has been made, in print and on air, of Lexingtonians’ budding interest in growing and consuming fresh and local produce. We eat fresher food. We get to sample a greater variety of food. We grow community by gathering in groups at places like Farmer’s Markets to chat, eat, and purchase food for home. We nourish and reconnect to the earth. We support local farmers. We get outside and away from the television and the computer.

These are all true, all beneficial, all certainly needed in spades around Lexington and the rest of the U.S. But I suspect there’s something else going on here. By beginning to grow our own food, we may once again begin to think of ourselves as producers who have something of value to offer our friends, our neighbors, and, yes, even our local businesses.

Significantly, this value has little direct connection to the dollar bill. Whether it be basil and tomatoes, cucumbers, marijuana, beer and wine, honey, or a host of other things, the increased interest in growing and producing things for ourselves has the potential to offer workable alternatives for the current dollar-based economy that, to put it frankly, is f**king up most of our lives.

… what I mean by the economics of growing your own food has more to do with longterm structural changes that see us buy less and pay more for the things we consume. The saying