Gathering...

Over the last couple of years, I have read, researched, and discussed nutrition more than I care to admit.  Especially for someone who is sitting here drinking a cup of sugar-filled hot chocolate...The more I read, the more confused I get - grains or no grains, meat or no meat, local or organic (when the local organic isn't available).  It's enough to make me give up all together.  But what I keep coming back to is whole fruits and vegetables as fresh as possible, and everything else in moderation.

This search for healthy fruits and vegetables has brought us some of the greatest joys of this summer and early fall. Gathering our own food, while it's in season.  We've spent many happy days with our buckets and containers visiting local farms and farm stands.  First it was blueberries in July, then blackberries, raspberries, corn, beans, and flowers in August. September brought us tomatoes, strawberries, apples, and pears. And October has lots of yummy corn and squashes in store.  We've made jellies and jams, frozen lots of berries, canned tomatoes, dined on meals fresh from our own garden.

It's been so much fun.  I love that my boys know where their food comes from, and that we've spent hours laughing and laying in between rows of blueberry bushes.  My oldest is a voracious harvester - stopping only when his bucket is full.  Then he asks for another. And more after that. He can outlast me most days.  The little one? Eh. Apples were his favorite - quick, easy, doesn't take long to accumulate quite an impressive pile.  The rest all takes longer than he wants. But I will never forget just how much he enjoyed sitting in the wagon eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and cheering us on. Or running through the field with the bucket on his head. Or eating more blueberries than he picked.

And I can't wait until January when we pull the blackberries out of the freezer for a pie that tastes like summer.