Know your roots
Know your roots. It’s printed on the back of the business cards here at Old Saratoga Mercantile, but it’s more than a catchphrase. It was one of the driving forces in deciding to open the store. I want to know where my food comes from. Was it grown or raised here by my neighbor, using the same practices I would use? Or did it come from a giant commercial operation, using sprays or methods to unnaturally, but with a much higher profit, plump up the product? Was it tossed in a truck to make a thousand-mile journey before it landed, weeks later, on my plate? I think a lot of people want to know, too, but don’t have the time to do the research. Most people can’t walk through the grocery store and read every label, google every farm name, research countries of origin before you determine your purchase. I can, though, do research on our local farmers and producers. I can visit their farms, sample their foods, meet their families, talk to others who use their product—and whe