Planting the Seed for Meatless Mondays

Green is a relative term. I’m green compared to many of my friends, but I admit that when it comes to certain things, I’m behind the curve. My two biggest eco no-nos are my long showers and my diet. Meat is something I just won’t give up. Even though I mostly eat chicken and fish, I love pork wonton soup, beef chow fun and a cheeseburger now and then.

Last Saturday inspired me to make my foray into vegetarianism. My family, boyfriend and I embarked on an adventure to the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture’s Farm Tour. The annual farm tour welcomes visitors to explore more than 20 farms for tours and demonstrations.

We visited Soergel Orchards, the Dillner Family Farm and Harvest Valley Farms. At Soergel’s, we picked blueberries and raspberries. I enjoyed crouching down and reaching for a plump, dark blue blueberry. It was exhilarating picking my own food.

Soergel Orchards

At the farm store, I purchased mushrooms, peaches and green beans. We enjoyed deli sandwiches and the July pie of the month, peach and blueberry. At Dillner Family Farm, we also picked blueberries and took a tour of the tomato plants and melon fields. The Harvest Valley Farms tour was really educational. We learned about all different kinds of tomatoes, soybeans and beets.

Art King, co-owner of the farm, showed us how the farm makes the most of its water. They lay down plastic covering the soil, and irrigate the fields from underneath. The black plastic absorbs the light, and the white plastic reflects it. The white plastic allows the farm to grow cool weather plants, like broccoli, during the summer.

Art King, co-owner of Harvest Family Farms, explains the science plastic covers in an irrigation system.

King showed us the wispy asparagus plants, which are only harvested for about six weeks in the spring, and the Brussels sprouts. “If only I had a dollar for every time someone said, “Oh! Is that how they grow?” he said with a chuckle.

To my surprise, I didn’t see meat for sale at any of the farms from animals raised on the premises. By the end of the day, I had so many vegetables that I didn’t miss meat.

On Sunday night, I looked at my full fridge to see what I could pack for lunch the next day. I decided to saute the mushrooms from Soergel’s market and zucchini to go with some jasmine rice I had. Then, I added a side of my hand-picked blueberries from Soergel’s for snacking.

Lunch on Monday, July 26: Sauteed mushrooms, zucchini, jasmine rice and blueberries

After packing my lunch, I decided that I could and should do this more often. So, now I proclaim I will join the Meatless Monday campaign. Benefits of going meatless, even just one day a week, include a reduced risk of heart disease, a smaller carbon footprint and a lower risk of contracting cancer. So, stay tuned as I embark on my Meatless Monday journey.

Post and photos by Estelle Tran