Garden Fresh
I’ve been away. Away with the ocean as my backdoor. It was a nice break from our normal day to day routine. It was wonderful to fall asleep with the slider open, listening to the sound of waves crashing on the shore.
Matt and the boys and I flew to Seaside, Florida to spend a little over a week with his entire immediate family. I say “entire” because there are so many people. 23 to be exact. 12 adults and 11 children, oh, and I can’t forget, one on the way.
There is so much to share about this trip and SO many photo’s. It may take a little time to sort through, edit and prep the images. Once they’re ready, I’ll share some of the highlights.
In the midst of all of the beauty and enjoyment I did find myself struggling a bit with one thing. Food. I mistakenly watched Food Inc. right before going on this vacation. Oh my goodness this movie is a MUST see for everyone, although I do have to warn you that it’s a bit tough to watch. I know that so many people don’t care, don’t want to know what lies in the background of our food industry. It’s so much easier NOT to know. BUT, and I don’t mean to crawl up on a soapbox here, don’t you WANT to know what it is that you’re eating??? We literally are what we eat and it’s mind boggling to me that people would rather just turn the other cheek.
I definitely don’t want people to think that I’m faulting them for not caring or for eating food that isn’t good for you. I think we live an existence where we’ve been desensitized to certain things like the impact that certain foods or “non” foods have on our bodies. We’ve also been pulled in the direction of convenience. There are so many options now for “fast” food, but who’s looking at what is in the food? Where is it coming from? Is it healthy for our bodies?!!
Watching Food Inc. was an eye opener for sure. It made me appreciate where I live so much. I have access to fresh food. Access to grass fed, farm raised meat and poultry. Dairy products that aren’t treated with hormones and pesticides. Locally grown produce. I am so grateful for this. In fact, this Saturday is the first day for a local farmers market that is walking distance from our house. WALKING DISTANCE! I feel blessed.
A couple of weeks before we left, Matt and I planted a small garden. We utilized the open sections of our yard to plant lettuce, broccoli, potatoes, garlic, onions, cilantro, parsley, tomatoes and mint. When we came home, our lettuce was in full bloom so we made the best steak salad I’ve had. It was so satisfying to just pick what we needed from our garden. The boys loved it too.
I have to say, I’m looking forward to warm summer days, buying locally grown, farm fresh food and cooking with my boys.
Summer, I’m ready for you!
