Food for the Ark: Chapter Eight

February’s Favorite Foods

The first subtle smell of spring was in the air. Annie smiled, thinking of past springs she and LJ shared on earth, their previous home now swamped by 500 days of unremitting rain due to human-induced global warming. Despite decades of environmentalists sounding the alarm and showing direct evidence of the planet’s destruction, too many ignored the warnings, and now it was gone. Annie and LJ lived on the Ark of Seeds and were responsible for the 930,000 seeds, representing the earth’s entire biodiversity. They and other survivors, also living on arks, were dedicated to cleaning up the water, hoping someday, when it receded, and the earth was revealed again, there would be a planet where the seeds and the offspring of the saved animals could repopulate.

The first quarterly gathering of the arks was coming to a close. Arks had traveled for thousands of miles to meet around the mother ark, Destiny to share, plan and visit. This was the time of year when spring planning and planting was the primary topic. Annie and LJ would be swamped because they were responsible for distributing seeds and replenishing the seed bank. And they were also responsible for hosting an open-air market on their ark for everyone to bring crops to share.

“Whoa, Ben, your crops are amazing,” laughed LJ. “How did you manage to grow everything so big?”

“Not to mention so delicious looking too,” added Annie.

“You know I grew up on a farm in the Central Valley,” said Ben. “I had to go back to what the ancestors taught to get these beauties. We can only grow organically, right? There’s no other choice. Despite our current circumstances, the sun still rises in the East and sets in the West. Where the Farm Arks are right now, it is late winter early spring, meaning these crops need sun and cooler weather. It’s also economical to work with Mother nature and grow seasonally. The foods are tastier, fresher, and at their nutritional best. These collards are from the cabbage family; both are in season now. Collards are an excellent source of vitamin A, Beta Carotene, and calcium. For your body to absorb calcium effectively, you need the presence of vitamin D. The best source of vitamin D are Citrus Fruits like these tangerines, pomelos, lemons, limes, and grapefruit, all in season…