Well…wanna-be farmer is more accurate. Farm School at 18 Reasons started last week and we planted thousands of starters of tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. So fun! It is going to be an exciting season and delish harvest. Is it wrong that I am already thinking about how good the food will taste in a few months? Makes me hungry just thinking about it…
The farm now has adorable pigs (I fed them slop, cheese and veggies!), chickens, bees are humming and rainbow carrots, rosemary, basil, garlic, greens have already been planted and much more is to come. Cannot wait!
So have I totally gone country? Do I want to become a farmer one day?
Quite honestly, no. I don’t think I am tough enough! Not only is it physically demanding, but the amount of planning and strategizing that goes into a bountiful farm is incredible. I am not sure I could pull it off! It will take a lot more education and experience for me to even think that I could do this as more than a 1-2 times a month hobby.
So why is it so important to me?
I want to take ownership of what I put into my body. I want to be aware of how things are grown and where my food comes from. Over the last few years it has become a priority that I know what I eating, where and how it is grown and how those foods will affect my health and lifestyle. My entire perspective has changed and I love how it makes me feel. I no longer believe in myths or fads and it is empowering for me to be a smart consumer and get more involved in the food system.
What steps can you take to get closer to where your food comes from?
First of all….look at your plate and ask yourself…what am I actually eating? Is it a vegetable? Is it a protein? What animal is that from? Is this a fat? Become more aware of what food groups your food falls into. It is a more difficult question than many realize….what do you eat every single day????
Second, what are the ingredients? If there is a condiment you love, cereal you have every day or you go to the same place for lunch like clockwork at noon – get a look at the ingredients of the foods you eat. Do you recognize the words? Are they whole foods or are they chemicals? Don’t judge…just start to notice what you eat on a daily basis.
Then ask yourself…how much do I really care about this at this moment in my life? Please don’t feel like you have to eat organic or local simply because it is trendy. Is it important for you to eat whole foods? Have you paid any attention to how the foods you eat affect your health, weight, energy, mood and stress levels? Maybe you are motivated to look into this a little deeper. Maybe you are not.
It is all about you. Making food and life and your routine work for you. For me, this is really important. I think about this stuff on a daily basis! Taking time out of my day to crawl in the dirt and plant eggplant makes me more connected to what I eat and that means something to me. You have to do what is right for you.
Will keep you updated on my farming adventures so stay tuned. Question of the moment…should I buy some overalls?