A Trip to the Market

We woke up Sunday morning to grey,grey thunder clouds looming about the shoulders of our mountains, down in the harbour it felt more September that July. Needless to say our plans to hit the beach again this weekend had to be put on hold. Now what does a family with a suddenly empty day do? Well we do what we do best- took the day as a gift or sign if you will and slowed it way down. The rushed smoothies that were planned as a pre- beach breakfast turned into a sit down pancake breakfast, complete with real Maple Syrup- Im spoiled perhaps - I have a direct import line of Maple Syrup from the East.

   
     Our family is not the sort to rush about or spend hours commuting- we feel that although we live in a huge city we have, to a degree, avoided the rat race. We live where we work- literally the Mr's office is right around the corner! We walk almost everywhere during the week, saving the car for weekend adventures. Most importantly - I think anyways- is we eat almost every meal together as a family. We have a table cloth, cloth napkins, and the kids are learning to set a table properly. No elbows on the table please!

      Multipul studies have shown the importance of eating together as a family, those studies aside it is just what feels right for us as a family. To gather and share; talking, laughing, sopping up spilled whatever! In both the Mr's family and my own food has always been an important part of family ritual, something that bonds us all together. We feel that with our boy starting school in the fall we are on the verge of our entire lives shifting and so to continue as long as we can with this family tradition is paramount.

    At any rate food is important to all of us- weather we like it or not we all rely on it.  It is a necessity of life and so why not enjoy it? And what joy, if I may ask, comes from opening a frozen dinner and popping it in the microwave? Whole foods, unencumbered and free of sprays and other chemicals is a joyous thing to eat! We are so lucky to live in a place with such easy access to organic and locally grown food- during the growing season we take advantage of this as much as we can!

      The health benefits of eating locally and organic are really only topped by my own desire for our kids to know where their food comes from. City kids it has been said are increasingly out of touch as to where their food is grown and produced. Educating kids about food supply can be an easy and magical thing. At our house we have a small balcony garden where we grow salad greens, tomatoes, herbs and   the king of the crop- strawberries! We also have a larger garden at my parents house- the kids with their own plot where they are all waiting breathlessly for the pumpkins!

   One does not need to have a green thumb to teach their children about food, an easy way is a trip to the local Farmer's Market. Not only does one get to eat what is in season but you also support farmers when you buy directly from them- the middle men are all cut out and your money goes directly into the farmer's pocket. This brings me back to our Sunday afternoon spent lazing around picking up a few groceries here and there. No rushing, no losing kids in the grocery store, just wondering around and buying what looked and smelt good!

    I feel like this tale of food and slow Sundays needs some sort of moral at the end. You are what you eat? Cliche. How about What goes around comes around? Whatever the moral  you take from this story is I know for sure that this morning finds me cleaning and freezing berries so in the depths of winter we an open our freezer and still enjoy summer!