Farm Fresh

Do you know where your food comes from? Not from the supermarket or from the city on the package...
We as a culture have become the boneless, skinless, breaded, packaged and over sauced food consumer, that has no idea, (and most don't want to know), what their food is, or where it comes from.
There is a funny story that I think of, one of the children in our family was eating fish sticks that her mother had just given her, and asked "what are fish sticks made of?", in which her mother promptly answering, half laughing, "FISH...silly!" I can just imagine her shock and thinking this little girl was saying in her head "I just ate Nemo!"
We as a society have become so removed from the genesis of our food and the farm, that we have lost the respect, value, and the effort it takes to produce that food. It seems the companies that produce that food have answered back by providing cheap and unhealthy food that is packaged and sold in a way that supports the seperation of what is going on behind that curtain of how they make it and your plate.
Imagine for a moment what is takes to create a REAL hamburger. The cattle rearing cost of food, and land. Transportation of that beef to market, butchering costs, etc. The bun, with the wheat and baking cost. The lettuce and tomato, ketchup and mustard, and farm needed to produce them along with labor cost. How much should a hamburger cost??? It has to be more than 99 cents. Where do you think there are cutting the cost? Not the buildings they sell them in, not the marketing and commercials, not the packaging, and the special toys that come with them. Guess where they cut the costs? Do you really know where your food comes from and what it's made of???
We live in a time where soft drinks are cheaper than water and fast food cheaper than and apple. How are we to find respite in our attempts to eating REAL food that we cook at home? How are we to afford an organic meal, that maximizes nutrients to feed our sick and malnourished bodies?
The key is to start small.
Start with keeping your food simple. Can you see everything your meal is made of? If we make a conscientious when we make our purchases, we can affect what we are being sold. We can change the supply if we change our demand.
Cook at home with as many fresh ingredients. It does not have to be organic, yet. Buy your food in a state that is as close to its natural state, most of the time it is cheaper. (think celery stocks as opposed to celery hearts)
Bring your lunch or support your local establishments. These small businesses can afford to create the frankenfood that larger companies can and in turn serve more REAL food.
Get a little closer to the farm by finding a local butcher for your meat or a famers market, give your kids a farm tour.
The simplest thing you can do is educate yourself. Find out more about what you put in your body and your kids bodies. Ask questions from your butcher or farmer, they have great advice on what to use and how to prepare many of the foods they are selling.
We can make a difference and take our food back to a place where we have trust that it is good for us.
**STEPS OFF SOAPBOX**