Letters

By dig readers

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Farm yer own peas, lazy pants!

Dear Dig,

As a farmer living in the metro Boston area, I found it heartening to see the Dig promote local food politics. What I found disheartening about the article "Buying the Farm" was the complete omission of Boston area CSA farms.

One of the intentions of the CSA model is to reconnect people with the source of their food. CSAs not only provide small farmers with a steady income, preserve open space in an ever-developing world and shorten the distance food travels; they also re-involve us all with the simple act of producing good, healthy food. It's especially important to reconnect children to the land in a palpable way, by bringing the kids out to pick small fruits, cherry tomatoes, beans and flowers.

It's convenient that farms in central and western Massachusetts drop off top-quality, fresh veggies at Boston locales. Another alternative is to join a CSA farm in eastern Mass., where you can pick your own veggies, see firsthand where they're grown and meet the hard-working farmers who love to cultivate them. Yes, for this option you will need a car, but it's worth it.

Some local CSA farms include Lindentree Farm in Lincoln, Powissett Farm in Dover, Land's Sake Farm in Weston and Waltham Fields Community Farm. Many more amazing farms in the area have farmstands worth visiting, like Hutchins Farm in Concord and Blue Heron Farm in Lincoln. Check out nofamass.org for more CSAs in our area. As we all anticipate the return of the warm weather and with it, the crunch of a pea picked off the vine or the gush of a fresh strawberry, please also consider supporting these farms.

STEPHANIE

FROM ARLINGTON

Not sure why we got this, but we appreciate the occasional random rant.

Dear Comcast and Editors:

Being old and a veteran does not get you much in this country. I am on SSDI and pay over $1,000 a year to Comcast. The cable company has no heart. Comcast says there are no discounts for veterans or anyone over 65 years of age in Boston. However, other cities/towns offer 10 percent discounts for seniors with basic.

They offer me no discount because I have HD, which everyone will have to have by 2009. Elderly Americans built this country and some even died for it. For what? So that they could get screwed when they got old?

RCN offers the same services as Comcast, but at half the price. RCN is not in Boston yet; it'll take years for them to get here. Talk about a monopoly!!!

RICHARD

FROM BOSTON