Speak Your Piece on Daily Yonder

Spooked by the 2006 E. coli outbreak in bagged greens, California and now the federal government too are moving in the direction of stringent regulations -- rules that, Sharon Zecchinelli writes, could squelch small growers and damage soil and streams.

By Sharon Zecchinelli

Danger zone? Or is it just a fine plot of chard, kale, beets, spinach and lettuce?
Photo: Silvercreek Garden , Bellingham, Washington

The following conversation takes place in the not-so-distant future.

“Grammy, in our history class today the teacher read to us from a book called Little House on the Prairie”

“Oh, I remember those stories. Do you like them?”

“Yup, but I didn’t know about some of the things she read to us.”

“Like what, my darlin’?”

“Well, how did they eat things right out of the garden. Were they that brave? Or were they just so hungry they didn’t care if they died?”

“What do you mean, sweetie? Food from the garden is perfectly safe.”

“That’s not what they told us today. Teacher said that home grown food is awfully dangerous and we shouldn’t eat it, ever. They said that we should never eat spinach or lettuce or vegetables that, well, like what you grow in your garden.” The child’s eyes welled up with tears and he threw his arms around his Grammy’s waist. “I was so worried about you for the rest of the day.”

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