"To eat good food is to be close to God."

Why do I love farming? Of course, I could give you a deeply philosophical response, peppering it with the sage wisdom of Wendell Berry, Liberty Hyde Bailey, Hippocrates, the go-to Michael Pollan and other agrarian-minded thinkers. However, my honest, extremely primal answer as to why I love my job is, well, the food! (Thus, the rationale behind the post title, from Primo of the food lover's favorite movie, "Big Night." So, in my defense: I'm not using the Lord's name in vain when I react to the flavors of fresh, unbelievably delicious food; rather, it's an expression of a spiritual awakening of sorts...)

After a grueling week, my friend (shout-out - Nicole!) and I prepared ourselves an epic, well-deserved meal, with the latest from the field. The menu?

• Mixed vegetable frittata with fresh garlic
• Chopped salad with cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, basil, avocado and mixed lettuces
• Simple tomato, mozzarella and basil salad

• Roasted zucchini boats with cherry tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese

• And, last, but not least..chocolate zucchini cake:

In a word: Unreal. The ingredients pretty much cooked themselves.

If no other reason to eat seasonally, locally grown (preferably grown by farmers using sustainable environmental and social practices), it's this: Consume it for the immense joy and satisfaction that you get from preparing, eating, savoring the bounty and sharing the meal with friends. 

I recognize that I have become quite fortunate/spoiled to work on farms over the past few years and have subsequently grown to expect this type of delicious food. It's a tough lifestyle, but I'm up for the challenge!

Want a recipe? Leave a comment and I'll post the most popular request. 

PBS: "As Farmers Age, Japan Rethinks Relationship With Food, Fields"

Watch As Farmers Age, Japan Rethinks Relationship With Food, Field on PBS. 

See more from PBS NewsHour.

Check out more amazing stories about food access, justice and accessibility as 
part of the Food for 9 Billion project, an initiative by the Center for Investigative Reporting.

Will Allen on The Colbert Report!

Food and farm nerds, rejoice! The legendary and inspiring Will Allen was on The Colbert Report. Take a look!

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Will Allen
www.colbertnation.com
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If you eat food, then know about the Farm Bill!

Likely, you're not a farmer, so, why should you care about the Farm Bill? As I'm reminded everyday, food and agriculture influences all aspects of our political, economic and social lives. NPR had two back-to-back stories about the contentiousness behind the latest iteration of the Farm Bill. Main reason why you should listen: If you eat food, then you should  brush up on the Farm Bill!

Take a listen:



Also, how Southern Farmers See Northern Bias in Farm Bill. (Did you notice how you're paying more for peanut butter? Well, thank the growing practices influenced by subsidy programs of our national agricultural policies!)

Questions? Comments? Leave 'em here!

Tom Philpott on Fresh Air!

Food and ag. journalist (and my role model) Tom Philpott was on Fresh Air today, being interviewed  by Terry (yup, I can call her that) on the realties of the meat industry. Listen!