Lessons I wish I learned about eating local

     I can't believe August is already here.  It seems like yesterday we were just celebrating the New Years and putting 2020 behind us.  As we roll in to August, the weather heats up and our local farmers start preparing their farms for the fall season.  We are fortunate to live in an area where we get a "Third Season" of seasonal produce from our local farmers.  It's one of  the great things you can always look forward to when you come out to Tomball Farmers Market.  Knowing where you food is coming from is so incredibly important.  And all our farmers & producers grow it and make it all within 150 miles of Tomball, TX.  We take great care to ensure that what our farmers are putting out on their tables for you weekly is locally grown for your families table. 
     As another school year gets ready to start this is a great time to develop and continue serving your family fresh local foods to set them up for success, build strong minds and bodies and allow mother nature to heal your bodies from within.  We are also a safer option to grocery stores as less people are handling and preparing your food every week.   True Farm to table eating for your family.  Food you can feel good about putting on your table, inside and out. :) 
          My great-grandmother used to say, "Eat where you live, child and eat to live not live to eat".  I never understood the first part of her statement until I was much older.  She grew up in a rural area where her family and neighbors had to grow what they ate & they canned and "put up" the rest for the slow non-producing months.  They couldn't go to the local grocery store for avocados can you imagine??  As I got older I forgot her lessons and now really wish I had paid more attention to her lessons she had to teach me.  I like most of us went to the grocery store and bought everything there not knowing where it was sourced from and if I am being honest I wanted the convenience and didn't really think about it. 
     I slowly evolved though as my family and I started suffering from different health issues.  I started only shopping the "outside isles of the grocery store" opting for healthier options over processed foods.  I tried growing my own vegetables but knew nothing about seasons or the soil and my plants didn't produce enough in our small yard to feed us for even a summer.  And I knew nothing about canning and the idea was overwhelming to me.  But I kept hearing my great-grandmother in my ear and her voice has gotten louder and louder over the last two years or so.  Now, we buy a lot of our food every two weeks from the farmers market.  And my family and I feel better when we eat better and eat locally sourced foods.  I also find we actually eat less than when we don't.  Not to say I am great at it by any means but I try a little harder each month and don't beat myself up when I fall short.  Trust me, my body and my husband's body let me know plenty when I am failing us. 
     So my challenge to you and to myself is buy one more thing from your local farmers market this week.  Prep one more meal this week.  Make it fun and involve the kids in meal prep and cooking.  Not only will incredible memories be made but you will be teaching the next generation not to take for granted where our food comes from and be teaching them the importance of eating where your at.  Though, I am definitely still buying avocados, I am not an animal!  I need my guacamole.    
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Amanda Kelly, Market Manager