The Natural Health & Wellness Apprentice

Do you know where your food comes from? I do. After watching Jamie Oliver's "Food Revolution" through gobs of tears, I joined a CSA. Community Supported Agriculture is certainly different than production agriculture, but the goal is to support regional farmers, sometimes called hobby farmers. Another goal is to get people eating the best health products available: fresh foods that haven't been trucked halfway across the country!

Some CSAs also offer free-range chickens and eggs, as well as fresh produce that offers the best organic foods benefits. We need to eat food grown in quality, nutrient-rich soil. Americans are usually deficient in nutrients such as vitamin D and magnesium, so this is a way to get them back into your diet.

Here's how a CSA works. For a couple hundred dollars,  I am a "co-owner" in this small farm. I own a half-share, so each week I receive a small box with a variety of the harvest. The small box is plenty for a family of three. We're also invited to attend events at the farm a few times a season. This gives us the chance to really "know our farmer" and see where and how our food is grown.

The farm is about 25 miles away, but I am already looking forward to attending a Saturday event. I'm also looking forward to more radishs, lettuce, kale, onions, peas, and fresh eggs--not just for their vitamin D and magnesium but also for their delicious, fresh flavor!

A few weeks ago, the USDA's Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food campaign took some heat from prominent politicians. The grants this program doles out to "hobby farmers" is taking away from large production farms. That's just too bad. This is a great way to get city slickers back into the country--and in the dirt--paying attention to how their food is grown and who is growing it, eating healthier foods, and helping one another in their local and regional communities.