"It is the simplest, most natural of acts, akin to breathing and walking upright.  We sit down at the dinner table, pick up a fork, and take a juicy bite, oblivious to the double helping of global ramifications on our plate.  Our beef comes from Iowa, fed by Nebraska corn.  Our grapes come from Chile, our bananas from Honduras, our olive oil from Sicily, our apple juice - not from Washington State but all the way from China.  Modern society has relieved us of the burden of growing, harvesting, even preparing our daily bread, in exchange for the burden of simply paying for it.  Only when prices rise do we take notice.  And the consequences of our inattention are profound."

Joel K. Bourne, Jr

This is the beginning of an article that was in the latest issue of National Geographic.  It really hit home for me.  The article might be the subject of another blog post for me because it was heart wrenching with many profound pictures, including one that is haunting me of a young child, obviously starving.  He and his mother live (if you can use that term)  in Ethiopia, and he is starving because his mother is being fed sorghum porridge at a refugee camp and it is not enough fat and protein for her to produce breast milk for her baby.  It makes me want to scream, the inequality in this world.   But, as I said, another time.....

Today, I want to write about our food and where it comes from.  As for me,  I want the "burden" of knowing where my food comes from.  And, I want it to come from my backyard....and if not, I want it to come from a local, organic source.  Food is what nourishes us.  It is the source of our well being.  So, today, with that said, I want to share my Sat. trip to a local, organic Amish farm.  I was so excited to go to the stand that I usually frequent during the growing season.  This, though, was the first time EVER that I didn't need to buy any produce because everything that they had that I wanted was already growing in my backyard, in soil that I placed there, that I know is healthy.  It was grown with love and respect.  And it will be eaten with the same consideration.....

Though a foggy morning, our beautiful landscape here in Pennsylvania is a feast for the eyes.
The only thing that I did buy at the farm stand was local cheese and eggs.  Oh, and we had a nice chat with the Amish farmer.  We plan to buy some of his organically grown straw to use as a mulch in our garden.  

Now, here is a glimpse at what is growing in our backyard garden.....

Broccoli...so far so good.   Last year's crop was eaten before we could eat it.  Hope that groundhog enjoyed it!
Newly planted strawberry plants.  Hopefully next year, we will have a lot of these wonderful berries!
Yummy asparagus!  The first veggie of the season. Maddie's peas are so tall!  
Amelia's lettuce is ready for cutting.
I love mint!!!!
Beautiful blueberries!  If the birds don't get them, Ben will!
Spinach.  So beautiful.....
Leah's dinosaur kale.  She is very proud of her crop!
Ben walking towards home after a visit to the garden with me to take these pictures.
And, of course, the beautiful, wild dandelion!