Getting to Know Your Food!!

Well I wanted to do a little different of a post today. I am really into eating fresh local when I can and I truly believe that the quality of produce, meat and dairy is second to none! I don't think I need to rant about how much better local fresh ingredients are because I think we all have been hearing it for quite some time now. There is no environmental side effects like the consuming of fossil fuels to reach shipping destinations (which I might add can be very long distances) and you are helping support a local farmer and family! I highly support that! Okay, okay so a little rant! In trying to find local produce I find some areas are more difficult than others however most towns have a local baker or butcher. They are a great choice to find food made with love and you can choose to go a step further if you want and then ask them where they get thier ingredients and product. Also how it might be raised, if it is?!



Recently my two young girls,husband and I spent an afternoon at a local U pick blueberry farm and it was so much fun! We got to enjoy the beautiful sunny day and eat blueberries straight from the bushes (oops I don't think we were supposed too!:) My girls reveled in being able to bring home what they picked and we all enjoyed whipped cream and blueberries for dessert. I have to say you really don't realize what bland mush of a blueberry shell you may have been eating from the grocery store because the taste from these little blue bombshells were superb!
Here is a link for U pick farms listed across the world believe it or not!
http://www.pickyourown.org/index.htm


This link is for finding fresh, locally grown and sustainably produced food in canada and the US. Their belief is "Eat well everywhere" and have a great little gadget that you can input where you are traveling from and to, and it will let you know of all sorts of places to buy your food along the way. I love this! You can search by other by means too and even as close as your city. Unfortunately for me I had trouble find a lot of places listed in BC, Canada but I looked up all other provinces and was able to find a great list of sources.
http://www.eatwellguide.org/i.php?pd=Home

This link has more listings for the US but some in Canada. It had very nice detail about each farm and vendor individually as well as a community feel. There were forums and even a shop online option!
http://www.localharvest.org/


All links have a wealth of information on them and could really help with any quest for knowledge on eating local that you may have. I really feel a sense of empowerment making the choices of what we eat in our family. I'm not one to sit back and let someone else tell me what's good for me, so I say "I'll decide" and be better for it! Not to mention my U pick was a fun way to spend time with my family an teach my kids where their food comes from. My next mission is to find a local farm and not only have a place to buy food but I think it will be another great way to spend time with my family learning about all the things to see on a farm. Maybe some cute little fluff ball kittens could be found!