And so this begins....

With a conjunction!?!? Tsk tsk. Welcome to the start of a long journey about sustainable farming that does not begin or end with this blog*. The purpose of "The Wheaton Tomato" is to document different farms that participate in the "Farm Fresh" Rhode Island farmers' markets. I hope to, as objectively as possible, present information about sustainable farming in this area. On days when I am not volunteering or visiting farms, I plan to post recipes using ingredients that are locally and seasonably obtainable. I hope to inform not only myself and faculty sponsor, but also the greater Wheaton College community about local foods.

Ever since I took "Ethics" at Wheaton, I have been addicted to philosophy. Although all philosophy is interesting, I am most interested in how people make "good" decisions, what constitutes as doing "the right thing," how can a person maintain in good moral standing, and what are the small changes a person can make in order to be a better person. I have always worried about how my actions affect other people. Since it is impossible to constantly do the right thing, I have channeled much of this anxiety into food. The most productive way I have done this is by caring about where my food comes from and who, including the mother nature, that affects. In college, I have found a way to connect my academic interests with my extracurricular activities, and will continue to link them together through this blog.

Here is a bullet list of my goals (so far) for this blog:

• To research agricultural practices of Rhode Island farms who participate in Farm Fresh.
• To research the requirements for farms to be able to participate in farmers' markets.
• Raise awareness about local food for at least the Wheaton community and hopefully anyone who eats on the East Coast.
• Create changes with Wheaton's food services to support even more local farmers.
• Look at the social and political issues as to why the farmers' market is generally a white middle class space.
• Cook and share recipes that will inspire people to attend their local farmer's markets and cook with seasonable produce.
• Build relationships with farms so that the Feminism Food Studies in Action class can visit these farms and work with them in the Spring of 2011.
• Volunteer with Farm Fresh Rhode Island.
• Read and present food related writings such as excerpts from "The Cottage River Meat Book" (Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall), or "In the Defense of Food" (Michael Pollan).
• Determine if farmers' markets are as ethical as most people assume they are.

As I continue to do more research, I will develop more specific goals for my research this summer. I wanted to get this blog running as soon as possible so that I can make sure it runs smoothly when I'm actually out in the field doing research. For the time being, I will most likely post recipes, talk about recently published articles, and write about how my summer plans continue to shape. By the end of the end of April, I should have a more more clear idea about the work and research I will be doing this summer. I am also open to suggestions and collaboration.

* When I say, "sustainable farming does not start or end with this blog," I mean to emphasize how sustainable living is a lifestyle, not a trend. If you haven't already, I hope that you will read this blog as a conscious- raising tool to inform yourself on how to live and eat more sustainably.