Black market trading

Buying beef from the back seat of a suburban felt sort of like doing a drug deal. Or at least a black market food deal. Isn't that hilarious. To further supplement our local diet, we have been putting up garden vegetables, rhubarb and apples, for winter. We also decided to purchase a quarter of a beef and chickens from our local farmer friends.
It's awesome, but quite humorous to be standing in a parking lot writing checks for good quality beef. Some may beg to differ about what constitutes good food. All I know is that if I can buy it from a family that depends on their own food to survive, how much better could that be.

While I am rapidly reading my way through an enormous Stephen King novel, on my reading table awaits two books by Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms. "Everything I want to do is illegal," and "You can farm." I'm so excited to read them both. Joel Salatin has turned his farm into a diverse and wonderfully natural farm operation. He butchers chickens and invites the consumer to see how he does it. He maintains that the best "inspection" of food comes from the consumer, not the FDA or USDA. So, we must as people who love to eat demand that we are allowed to purchase our food from farmers, our friends. And, supporting our neighbors keeps wealth in our community. It's a good thing. If you have trouble finding the foods you want, just ask someone. Together we can do right by the people who produce real food - food you can eat right from the garden or the farm. Ummmmmm. Going to make some gazpacho and some eggplant dishes this weekend. There should be new videos coming your way before Monday.