Feeling Good about Eating (Very) Local

Last night as Dan and I sat eating our halloumi kabobs for dinner, I realized that every vegetable on our plate came directly from our own garden. The only items on the plate that weren’t grown in our backyard were the halloumi cheese and couscous.

I’m proud to admit that on the majority of nights in our house this summer, most of the food we’ve eaten has been grown in our backyard or on a farm nearby. While we have a large garden ourselves, we’re also members of a community supported agriculture (CSA) initiative, Lakewood Earth and Food (LEAF) Community.

To show you how it can be done, here's our menu from this week:
Monday – Calzones (sauce made from tomatoes from the garden); salads (tomatoes, cucumbers from our garden; lettuce from CSA)
Tuesday – summer squash gratin (zucchini, yellow squash, tomato and basil from our garden); small baguette
Wednesday – roasted vegetable and black enchiladas (peppers, zucchini and squash from our garden)
Thursday – halloumi kabobs (zucchini, squash, peppers, tomatoes from our garden)

Eating locally grown foods has wonderful benefits. Here are a few:
It’s good for the soul: For me, working in the soil is relaxing, refreshing and stress-reducing.
It’s better for your health: Local vegetables are picked at the peak of ripeness, meaning your body receives the most nutrients available. When veggies are picked under-ripe and transported hundreds of thousands of miles, they don’t have a chance to naturally develop the best nutrients your body needs.
It tastes better: You decide which tastes better - a tomato picked off the vine on a hot August day and served for dinner that night vs. a tomato covered in some waxy film that has been touched by hundreds at a large, chain grocery store.

While we all don’t have the chance to eat locally every night of the week, I urge you to take advantage of local produce during the summer. Go pick berries with your friends and family, take a trip to your local Farmer’s Market; buy the locally grown produce available in your grocery store. Give it a try and see if you feel better – physically and mentally – about the choices you’ve made.