no rabbits, just rhubarb.

{breaking my blog silence with something other than 'this is what we did, this is where we went, these are my sleeping kids' ... }

{more posts of that nature are sure to come, but this one's more about, well ... nature.}

I've been thinking for a while about what kind of food I'm feeding my family.  Of course, I think about it all the time.  What's for breakfast / lunch / dinner is never far from my daily thoughts. What I've only recently started to really give careful consideration to is where in the world our food comes from, what my food may have had for its own breakfast/lunch/dinner, and what really are those ingredients that I can't pronounce?  I've always been careful to avoid excessive sodium, sugar and fats.  Not to mention all the hidden ones. Over the years that I have been doing my own grocery shopping, I've become quite fond of a few "staples' that really shouldn't be coming home from the grocery store.  No, my granola bars don't have chocolate chips and marshmallows in them but maybe I need to take a closer look at all the other stuff they cram into that 35 gram package of "goodness".  My desire to make changes comes in part from what I'm learning from my work as an Independent Consultant with Epicure Selections.  I'm learning recipes,  tips and tricks for healthy eating that I had never considered before.

Last week I came across a documentary on Global called the 100 Mile Challenge. This link (if it works - I had some trouble with it) takes you to the Food TV synopsis of the show, but it's airing now locally (sensing a theme?).  I love that the town they focus on is so very close to home, so it really has practical implications as I consider eating more wholly and locally.  I also recognized one of the ladies on the challenge from meeting her two days before in our church nursery!  Small little world, indeed. Catch the next episode tonight at 10:00.

I asked my friend Kristin, who lives in Saudi Arabia, where the produce in her grocery store comes from.  Most comes from New Zealand.  Sure, that's fair enough.  Not too many apple orchards in KSA.  Then I thought to look at where our family's favourite apples come from ... New Zealand!  As delicious as they are, something just doesn't seem right here.

The day after watching the documentary, I discovered that my friend Holly (of fussy baby fame) had started a new blog about the food changes their family is making.  I now eagerly await each new post on her new blog, Eating On Purpose.  Her latest post talks about this local market.  I've been there a few times and think I'll be going back more frequently for things like beef, chicken and deli meat.  One of her posts mentions the phrase, "eat food. not too much. mostly plants." (m. pollan). I'd heard that before and intend to have a custom wall decoration made with that phrase and displayed above my kitchen cupboards. Just waiting for an invite (ahem, K.B.E.)!

Then I hear that my sister is raising rabbits!  They hope to start eating them for dinner in a few months.  It may sound strange to us city-folk, but after just a bit of reading ... it's not sounding so crazy. (Read at your own bunny-luvin' risk. Thanks for the link, Holly.)

While I would like to say that our family will be making rapid, drastic changes to what we eat and where it comes from, I know that won't be happening.  Holly says in her first blog entry that she gave this new lifestyle many months of getting used to before sharing about the experience.  I/we have a long way to go, but I do know that we're at the start of something that will be good for our everyday well being. And I hope our boys will carry it on as they grow and make their own food choices.  Max has already had some fun with this interactive site about eating locally.

I've lived in this town (again - after 7 years away) for 3 years now and have yet to venture to our local Farmer's Market.  I got close enough one week to figure out where to park, but was late for my hair appointment so I couldn't stop for a look-see.  I'm determined to go see what's there before the season ends.  I know that these great folks will be there again on August 21st. Maybe I'll get there!

And I must include a picture!  Here's the first sprout from (one quarter of) a rhubarb root that I inherited.  I was surprised to see how quickly and robustly it poked through the dirt (Moo Poo, to be precise).  This was taken in early June.  Thanks to my Dad for dividing the root and getting this one into its happy little home.



After two months of growth, the container was nearly hidden by all the leaves.  I haven't taken an updated photo, but last week I harvested a handful of the earliest stalks and made the best ever rhubarb-apple crisp.  And served it for dinner, I'll have you know!