Darby Zimmermann of Thanksgiving Farms in Frederick, MD, takes care of growing our weekly veggies and she doesn't think that professional hand modeling is in her future. As the owner/manager of our local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), I appreciate her abilities on the farm and grateful for the service offered. There is a beauty and simplicity of knowing the dirt that nourishes the foods we eat. As industrial farming continues to swallow up aging family farms, we tend to get further from the food source. It is fun and tasty to eat broccoli that was harvested that very morning. 

My tastes and requirements for food have changed over the years. My grocery shopping would include the pursuit of the perfect tomatoes, just as I would see in a McDonald's commercial. Now I will look for the funny shaped veggies that have a bit too much character and are left behind. The eggs shells from pasture raised chickens are produced in a range of colors from the standard white and brown to beautiful shades of blue, due to the various nutrients and seasonal plants the chickens eat. A co-worker began farming a sizable plot of land over the last couple of years and has been able to eat all season and preserve enough vegetables to carry his family through the winter. I have been inspired to see how this professional couple manages to drive changes within the Washington DC beltway during the week and farm a bounty from their land in their free time.

There are many ways to get a step closer to your food source and a bit closer to the land that spouts your food. As our mommas always said "you are what you eat". This truth hasn't changed even if we have the Internet and Pokemon Go. The nurseries still have tomato plants looking for a good home and that condo balcony has just enough room to grow your next salad goodies. 

Going Further: How can you get closer to your food sources? How do you think about where your food comes from? When did you last clean soil from your fingernails after harvesting your food? When can you next get dirty in pursuit of your food?