Local Foods

Over the last year I've been thinking more and more about what we eat.  I like to know what is in it.  While I'm not against the occasional treat, I do believe that we need to be eating lots of fresh, seasonal foods, preferably locally grown.  The closer it is eaten to it's source, the more nutrients it retains.  As the seasons change, the foods that are available are appropriate to what our body needs.  In the winter, warming, denser foods like squashes and root vegetables meet our physiological needs.  In the spring and summer, we have different needs, and the foods grown then meet them.  Foods like lettuce and strawberries thin the blood and make it easier to stay cool in the heat, or so I've read.  It makes sense, especially when combined with Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants, also known as the Word of Wisdom.  Everything should be eaten in it's season. 
I think that if you want to know how to care for something, heed the advice of it's creator.  If I want my Honda Odyssey to run well, I read and follow the manual provided by the manufacturer, no one else.  If the manufacturer says change the oil according to the dashboard monitor, and the manager at the lube place says I should do it sooner, who has the in-depth expertise on my car and who has their own agenda in mind?  The same goes for our bodies.
With that in mind, I purchased some local beef today.  I have tried it before, and it really is excellent quality.  Also, I like the idea of keeping my money as local as I can.  Not that I want anyone to lose a job, but it's great to support people in your own community.  I can also trace my beef to exactly where it was grown and processed.  It's the same beef that this family eats.  I ordered it this morning, and within an hour it was delivered to my door.  I got a three-month family pack, and got the first month today.  When we use it up, whether it be next month or in two or three months, I'll just call them and they'll bring my next selections to me.  Occasionally I may have to wait while it's being processed (they dry age the beef for up to three weeks), but it's worth the wait to get beef that was treated so well.  This spring or summer the kids and I are going to go and "meet" our beef.  I like that I can go and see how they care for the food I'll be feeding my family.  It's very personal and I know they take pride in their product.
I also plan to shop more at the farmer's market this summer.  Last summer I was quite busy, but this summer I'm going to make a point of it.  We are going to be sharing a garden with three other families.  I hope it works out.  This is the first time any of us have done something like this;  we hope that by sharing the work between us, it won't seem so daunting.  We are doing a lot of tomatoes for canning, and some fun things like potatoes and pumpkins, cucumbers and eggplant.  I also will be planting at my own home.  I am going to be adding to my strawberry patch, planting corn, carving pumpkins, melons, onions, cilantro and more tomatoes (kinds that we aren't planting with the other families).  I've already got peas and lettuce in the ground, and am going to be adding beets soon.  Last spring I made big flower beds around my backyard.  I wanted to plant lots of flowers, but by fall I decided that I could just as well use them to grow food!  It's time to prep the ground by adding peat moss and compost so I'll be ready when planting time rolls around!  I'm excited!