Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Of All Places...
Last weekend we attended what was billed as a Corn Festival, hosted by a local organic farmer. Nice event – the farmer provided baskets full of freshly picked sweet corn, guests brought their own picnic fixins and beverages. The farmer, an American guy in jeans and a work shirt, was gracious and folksy, showing off his fields, mixing with the crowd and encouraging them to drive out to buy fresh organic veggies. If we had a car, we certainly would. We were floored, however, to find out this was just his little hobby farm. Turns out he owns thousands of acres outside of town, where he grows cucumbers for Vlasic. He employs hundreds of workers who have to pick the cucumbers when they reach a very specific size – to fit uniformly in pickle jars – and immediately load them onto waiting 18-wheelers. 17 hours later they’re in Texas somewhere being made into pickles. Who knew? So next time you tear into a jar of Vlasic pickles, think of the Goots down here in the agricultural heart of Mexico.
