My Food has a Face

*blows dust off blog*

Phew!  What a busy summer.  It's been so incredibly awesome, though!  Watching my family grow, watching my garden grow, having some great times with close friends.  My heart feels so full.  It's been a summer of transitions.  New house, new baby, and I'm also transitioning out of media ministry.  It's been a great 5 1/2 years, and I'm really excited as to where it's heading next.  It's in the hands of some great, passionate people.  I'm also excited about having some down time with my family, and investing more in our community, now that we have put roots down here.  New season, new adventures, little scary but here we go!

Speaking of investing in the community, today made me smile.  Every Tuesday, I pick up a gallon of fresh raw milk from Hidden Acres Farm at the Marquette Baking Company.  The same lady is always working there, and to show my appreciation of their participation in the program, I usually buy a few cookies.  And because they are really, really good (especially the chocolate/cayenne ones).  Today she gave me a free coconut macaroon, and as I walked back to the car, fresh milk in one hand, fresh cookies in the other (coconut one in my mouth), I thought to myself "This is the beauty of eating locally."  My food comes with a face.  I know the people that produce it.  We get our beef from Seeds N Spores, not just because it's good, but because we're building a relationship with them.  Leanne Hatfield gives Zemi strawberries at the Farmer's Market, and we chat and give her a big hug at the fair.  We tell William Aho at Hidden Acres about how one of the jars broke and spilled a half gallon of milk in our car (no crying allowed), and he laughs and says "don't worry about it."

That's why we eat local and organic.  I smile at the shocked faces when I tell them I pay $7.25 a gallon for milk, but it's worth it.  I'm not just paying for the end product.  We view our money as seeds, as an investment, and we're choosing to sow into local, sustainable, high-quality agriculture.  Not just the fruits of it, but into the lives that produce the fruits of it.

As fall wanes into winter, I'll have (hopefully) more time to blog and expand on these thoughts some.  I also am planning on diving into some nutrition stuff, too.  Stay tuned!