One of the greatest joys about my job is the social engagement, and not surpirsingly, the sole driving force behind why I started this journey 3 years ago. Novels have been written about the link between food and what it evokes, blogs have thrived on the sole premise of food narrative, and tables are set every night with the aim of bringing people together over the human desire to blend food with loving relationships. But often neglected from this view, is the story of where the food comes from, and who the people are behind what we eat.
Photo Courtesy of Kelly Harper Photography
There is a running joke amongst my children that started as early as they could speak, that I have a story for all the food that graces our kitchen. As toddlers I would hand them an apple and tell them the magical journey of how a farmer got up every morning a dawn to tend to his orchard, and knew every tree as well as I know them, and that one day, the tree gave fruit that was picked, packaged and then driven to our grocery store so that a shop keeper could stack them with care…every item had a similar journey, with a complex blend of characters that all played a key role in allowing us to bring that item home to our kitchen (this story also played a big role in guilting my children into finishing their dinner, but I digress). It was not until recently that I discovered that this running joke meant more to them than a giggle at my expense, that they were genuinely aware of the journey our food makes to get to our table, and the difference between food that is grown versus food that is processed. Like every family, we have our share of processed foods lurking in the pantry, most notably marshmallows. I know that I can make marshmallows, but I choose to spend the $2 to buy them and spend my time on other areas in my life (shhh, that will be our secret), but little did I know that lurking behind this bag of fluffy sugary goodness was a question in my daughter’s mind, “Mummy, tell me the food journey these made….” So I started with the farmer that made the sugar, and then I could not tell her the rest, only that there were many, many people involved, to which she replied, “I like the farmer that made the sugar, and all the jobs this marshmallow created, but I like the food journey of the fresh food better because it is easy to see where the food comes from”. Oh my clever, clever darling daughter……
It is that fresh food journey that drives me to be an advocate for fresh produce and the farmers behind it. Over the last 2 years I have had the pleasure of working with a number of fresh produce companies and learning their unique farm story, but one thing remains constant — their commitment to quality, and their desire to inspire families to choose fresh over processed. Last week I hosted the #FreshBloggers reception in Seattle with California Giant Berry Farms and Stemilt. We met so many food bloggers who share in our passion for fresh over processed, and were honored that Jody Hall and Tom Douglas attended our event in support of our fresh cause. Over the coming months I will be promoting the #FreshBloggers community in every way I can, it is my hope that together we can create more awareness of the food that we bring into our kitchens and the journey it makes to get there.
…after all, a Margarita tastes much better with fresh ingredients, don’t you think?