Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Going Local

This past weekend, my wife, Bethany, took Charlie on a trip with a group of friends to a local farm to pick strawberries.  They had a great time, and the strawberries were soft, juicy, sweet...just beautiful.  Leaps and bounds beyond anything we would find in our local megamart.

Scoping out the scene and tasting his first pick...


Showing mom his spoils and then getting it all over his face...


We've been recently trying to find local sources of fruits, vegetables and meats and I've been pretty surprised by what we've found.  There is a local ranch in Montgomery, TX, Olde World Farms, that sells all grass-fed beef, as well as pork, lamb and chicken all given healthy and proper diets as well as kept in clean, natural conditions.  We haven't gone yet to see the farm or purchase any product, but the more and more we become aware of the benefits (not only to our bodies and our health, but to our economy too) of grass-fed beef and other organic products, the more I think we're going to make the switch.  There will be a visit to Olde World Farms in the near future, but that's for another blog.

But looking at these pictures, it reminds me of one of the reasons I'm growing tomatoes:  to learn that our food doesn't come from a box or a warehouse, it comes from the ground and people work hard to make that happen.  But the product, taken care of correctly, is well worth the effort.

Tomorrow, one of my favorites...

...sourdough.

5 comments:

Bethany said...

Love, love, LOVE these pictures... they really were the best strawberries I've ever eaten. So much better than the grocery store ones.

Booyah said...

This looks like such a fun day!

Do you guys have a farm out there that does a CSA program? My roommates and I get a box of vegetables from one of our local farms every week. It's great because it's local and because I'm getting to try veggies I've never had at the peak of freshness. Plus, it's fun for us to figure out the best way to cook them together!

Paul said...

I haven't heard of any around here, but I haven't really looked or asked either.

So do they deliver them or do they have the boxes already stocked with different vegetables and you go pick them up? That sounds so great! I would love it if they had something like that here.

Anonymous said...

Paul, your boy is precious! And kudos to you for supporting local farms while trying to grow a little bit of your own. Looking forward to meeting you this summer. ang.

Teri Dufilho said...

oh those pictures of charlie are so adorable.....that cherub face with strawberry joy all over it!.....i'll have to look through my archives and find our strawberry fields forever pic ... maybe it was just matt, before you were born.....hmmm....can't remember....i'll know once i find the pics...