In the U. S. National Archives there are all kinds of things about our country's history, including this picture from 1915 of a boy tending a market stall in Washington DC. Ironically, that market was razed to build the building where the National Archives are housed. What is in that picture from just about 100 years ago very likely includes varieties of produce and fruit that are no longer available - they have gone extinct. Flavors never to be tasted. Possible benefits never to be realized. Eating locally can't solve this problem.

It really is true that you don't miss your water til your well runs dry. In this case, when things are already extinct, never to be seen again. Today's increasingly limited number of strains, varieties and choices for consumers continue the problem. Without a clear connection between how food is grown and what appears on the table it is hard to make choices that consistently are in our long-run best interest.

Young boy tending freshly stocked fruit and vegetable stand at Center Market, 02/18/1915