Grandpa's Farm

I've never been overweight. I would say it is partly due to genes, partly due to sports interests growing up, a very active family, twenty years as a personal trainer, and a large part due to good food memories. I grew up visiting my grandparent’s farms. My fondest childhood memories were climbing trees, scaling the backside of the barn to hide in the loft, sailing stick and leaf "boats" down the spring run-off river flowing across the fields and raiding Grandma and Grandpa Walkers garden for fresh tomatoes.

I can recall the taste of baby carrots, pulled forcefully with both hands to free them from their garden captor, rubbed semi-clean on my already-soil-covered jeans, and chomped down to the feathery green stems. I know the sweet, crunchy, carrot flavor with a hint of earthy soil. And peas! The sound of the crisp pod snapping open, pushing the row of green beauties into my mouth where they burst with flavor. I chose the young pods for small, sweet, juicy peas or the larger pods for a bigger pop in my mouth.

We'd eat the garden clean if Grandpa didn't emerge from his hiding place behind the row of trees to shoo us kids away after he'd decided we'd had our fill of food and sneaky fun. We thought we were stealthy in our garden raids, but I know Grandpa was stealthier, and most likely had a good chuckle watching us kids enjoy the garden. Grandpa died last year, and I miss him terribly but those early memories left a deep impression on me.

It is forever embedded in my taste buds along with lettuces, strawberries, raspberries, corn, peas, potatoes, and more. It's that taste that draws me to search out the best organic produce and begin my happy dance at the start of Farmer's Market season.

Some of my earliest and best food memories shaped how I have eaten most of my life, and they continue to shape the memories I help provide for my own kids. Fresh, juicy, ripe, local, organic, natural, delicious, and nutritious whole foods make up most of our meals.

I can only guide what my children eat during their years at home while I prepare their meals. Fortunately, my kids did follow my passion for real whole food, they are healthy eaters, who make wise food choices because the tastes that shaped their taste buds are the ones that came from the fresh flavors of the local markets and gardens that we visit and support; along with the small selection of herbs, fruits, and veggies we plant each spring.