Malibu Grange

MALIBU GRANGE…GROW SOME

Malibu Grange is a nourishing community highlighting the people, places and things that feed and inspire us.  A “grange” is an association of farmers who share ideas, swap knowledge and, of course, gossip about the local happenings in their communities.  Malibu Grange is designed around these principles.

If it wasn’t for my family’s annual trips back to their Macedonian homeland, a small country brimming with orchards, vineyards, fields of vegetables and livestock, I would have believed that food was something perfectly packaged by elves arranged on supermarket shelves.  Farmer’s Markets were not common in the suburbs of Detroit, Mich., when I grew up there, even though the Great Lakes State ranks as the third largest agricultural producer in the country.  Neither farming nor gardening was taught in schools.  All we learned in Home Economics was how to sew buttons and make cinnamon rolls, which is more than most kids get today.

I am embarrassed to say that the first time I truly thought about modern farming and food production was in graduate school when I wrote for an agricultural magazine more than a decade ago.  I was shocked to learn about the disconnect between grower and consumer, particularly my own ignorance for a supposedly “educated” person.  I was even more surprised to learn about the intensive research that went into food production.  Whole Foods had not yet become a household name and more scientists were beginning to seriously study organic farming practices, particularly in the area of sustainability as the conventional production model that benefited many farmers for decades with its addiction to artificial chemicals had crashed.  Scientists were now studying the practices farmers intuitively understood long before mono-cropping and massive feedlots to learn why they worked and how to make them more efficient to meet the demands of modern agriculture.

It was during this time that I developed a dedication to understanding the origins of our food, which evolved into a deep appreciation for the people who produce, create and share the bounty we have the great fortune to enjoy today.  Fifteen years later, Malibu Grange is an expression of this dedication on all levels, large and small.  In our global world, Malibu is the home base through which we connect and make it local, hopefully encouraging readers to grow some…carrots, chickens, relationships, knowledge and understanding.

Sincerely,

Sonja Magdevski

MALIBU GRANGE…GROW SOME