What You Need To Know About Roadside Vendors Today

What You Need To Know About Roadside Vendors Today July 13, 2017 by Cathy Harris,  National Non-GMO Health and Wellness Expert   July 13, 2017 I don't think any of us, especially if you are a baby boomer, will ever forget roadside vendors from back in the day. These farmers had fresh, organic pickings from their gardens and fields in their trucks and other vehicles and sold these alongside of their family members and neighbors -- on the sides of roads.  This is how they made money to feed their families.  They did not have to buy groceries because everything they ate came from their gardens and fields -- from the land. Legal and health paperwork weren't required because even local government and law enforcement officials felt like everyone else, that they could go to these roadside vendors and buy some good, organic foods for their family members. During the month of July 2017, right before July 4, 2017, my mate and I were riding around looking at the countryside. We then decided to drive all the way up to Houston, which is two (2) hours away from Austin, basically to visit some of the black roadside vendors on the side of the road.  Everyone in the area know that these vendors hang out on this stretch of highway so we wanted to see what they had good to eat.  For some reason up until now, we thought that these vendors had fresh, home-grown foods right out of their gardens and fields, or out of their family members or neighbors gardens and fields, but our perception on how we see these vendors have forever changed.  We bought some tomatoes, peaches and watermelons from one vendor. They had forgotten to remove a sticker off one of the peaches, so we were able to figure out right away that they had went out to some grocery store or another food vendor and bought these foods to sell at a higher price on the side of the roads. Others had stopped by but because the prices were so high, they kept driving, however, my mate and I wanted something to snack on as we drove around the countryside, so we went ahead and paid the higher prices.  However, if we knew the foods were not organically grown in gardens and fields, and they were just more GMO fruits and vegetables from grocery stores or some other GMO food vendor, we would have stopped by one of the 10 to 15 grocery stores that we passed along the way, and searched for a better quality of food.  Before we found the sticker, I had washed off a peach and bit into it. As soon I bit into the peach, I felt sick to my stomach. Not only did it not have a taste, it barely had a smell to it. My mind went back to the peaches that we used to grow right in our own front yard, when I was a little girl, and how juicy it was and how I would give anything for a chance to eat like we did when I grew up.  We kept driving and passed several other black vendors on both sides of the road and wondered if they too were using thesedeceitful tactics to make money - probably so. Black people can do better! First of all they have to start by being honest with other black folks then joining in and working with them in business alliances, strategic partnerships and co-ops, for thebetterment of the community.  We have to do the right thing by each other and when we lay our heads on our pillows at night, we need to be able to sleep with a clear mind that we did not go out of our way to hurt or be deceitful to others, especially other black folks. That include telling the truth in EVERY AREA of our lives. I know that black folks are desperate today to make money, but as long as they remain deceitful and don't share information with each other and continue to seek out unethical avenues to make money, they will continue on a downward spiral of deceit and dishonesty. There are many other ways to make legitimate funds and fed, clothe and shelter our own families. These roadside vendors are the exact group of individuals that we are trying to get involved with in our new movement "Virtual Organic Garden Clubs"www.VirtualOrganicGardenClubs.com, but we need everyone to get involved and help us spread the word on our new national food project. "Remember we are the ones we've been waiting on." -Cathy Harris Read These Blog Posts and Get Ready  To Grow Your Foods My First Garden Journey – How I Built A Raised Bed Garden – Cathy Harris http://www.cathyharrisgardenclub.com/2017/06/my-first-garden-journey-cathy-harris.html How To Use Pots and Containers  To Grow Foods http://www.cathyharrisgardenclub.com/2017/06/how-to-use-pots-and-containers-to-grow.html 10 Steps To Growing Your Own Foods http://www.cathyharrisgardenclub.com/2017/06/10-steps-to-start-growing-your-own-foods.html   “The Beauty and Barber Shop (or Storefront) Initiative” https://cathyharrisinternational.com/the-beauty-and-barber-shop-or-storefront-initiative/