Weekend Update: Keeping it Local

“The fight to save family farms isn't just about farmers. It's about making sure that there is a safe and healthy food supply for all of us. It's about jobs, from Main Street to Wall Street. It's about a better America.” - Willie Nelson

This weekend we were surrounded by summer's bounty: eggplants and peppers and zucchini, oh my!

Early Saturday morning, Fiona and I were some of the first visitors to the Durham Farmer's Market.  We left Ryan at home to tame the yard before the heat of the day set in, and we enjoyed picking out veggies for this week's meals.

We'll be using these for roasted tomatoes, shrimp, & feta with angel hair pasta.

Saturday afternoon, the three of us ventured to our neighborhood's newest attraction: Fullsteam Brewery.  Fullsteam prides itself on "plow to pint" beer - all made with seasonal, local, organic ingredients.  We enjoyed the Summer Basil Farmhouse Ale, and Fiona enjoyed the bar's heavy supply of goldfish crackers.  Pretty sure, those are far from local....

Notice the deft mommy maneuver: beer & pacifier in one hand.

Fi was enthralled with the juke box and quite uninterested in sitting still for pictures.

Sunday afternoon, we headed to Raleigh for a local foods cookout with our friends Les, Nicole, & Evan in support of The Beehive Collective: a group, primarily made up of young Raleigh women, that is pooling their collective talents and resources to organize fun projects that raise meaningful amounts of money for the causes they care about.  Last year, they gave away more than $23,000 to two organizations working to increase economic security.  This year, they are hoping to raise at least $20,000 to support nonprofit organizations working on sustainable food issues.

Our family still has a long way to go in ensuring that our values are aligned with how we eat - as our huge weekly bill at Super Target will attest - but it felt great to take a few small steps in that direction this weekend.