By now, I hope you’ve gotten into the Farmer’s Market habit. I usually think of the first few Saturdays of the season as offering slim pickings, but this year has challenged that concept. I’ve picked up beets, barley, basil, carrots, eggs, honey, leeks, shallots, and maybe a ton of artichokes, all before the first of May.

I’ve also noticed asparagus, dried mushrooms, mussels, oysters, spinach, scallions, Hubbard squash, strawberries, and a wide variety of salad greens. As much as I might like to, I can’t eat it all, though — at least not all at once.

The weather has cooperated, and the spectacular colors in the sunlight take my breath away: the pale, feathery green of baby dill, the vibrant orange of carrots, the bright red stems of ruby chard, and the pastels of various flowers. Add live music and you’ve got one of the best daytime shows around.

If you’re not a big meat eater, it’s entirely possible to get everything you need at the market to make your meals. For those of us who want to try a 100-mile diet — or in my case a Humboldt County diet — the North Coast Growers Association holds the key.

I’ve already put up the first jars of pickled beets, and frozen a couple of batches of spring vegetables. I’ve mentally assigned June 1 as our official start date, and my excitement about it builds each Saturday as I make my way around the Arcata Plaza.

The supermarket will remain our source of cleaning and paper products, but our nourishment will be county-supplied. As the cost of fuel drives prices ever higher in grocery stores, I feel increasingly confident about the commitment to stay local with our food purchases.

My heart goes out to the truckers across the nation who bear the brunt of all this. Like the fishermen and foresters here in Humboldt County, they are caught in an economic crunch they never anticipated, and it must be excruciatingly painful to worry about feeding their families in a financial future that looks so bleak.

For the rest of us, it’s unsettling, too. Just yesterday, one of our neighbors stopped by and dropped an inspired idea into the conversation. She’s getting ready to put in a garden of her own and suggested that we consider a neighborhood co-op of sorts. She’ll plant some things that we aren’t growing, and we can share our harvests.

We already have a similar arrangement with the lovely lady next door. And if the others in our immediate area join us, the possibilities are substantial. We’ve always been a supportive group, sharing skills and goods. This would only up the ante.

Recent earth rumblings remind me that there have been times when the county has been cut off from the rest of the world. Despite our occasional strong differences of opinion, we have an ability to pull together that has proved invaluable. I’m not at a place yet where I foresee our survival depending on such an arrangement, but it’s great to know that if we get to such a place, our neighbors and our community are there for us.

I want to be there for them, too. That’s why I’ll be back on the Plaza this Saturday, filling my reusable shopping bags with some of the best produce to be found anywhere. It’s good for us, and it’s good for Humboldt County. What more could I want?

(Opinions expressed in columns do not necessarily reflect those of The Eureka Reporter or its staff.)