Our new magazine is out and ready for purchase! It’s all about farm to table keto. What does that mean? It means that you buy your food directly from farmers. Now, some farms will bring you into their fold and let you be a part of the growing and harvesting experience (think U-Picks and community gardens). But most commonly, they sell their food directly to consumers at farmers markets.
Food Is An Experience
Even a century ago, we ate to survive. We grew what we could, and we ate what we found. We planned for the cold, winter months and gathered root vegetables for our cellars. Today, we have the world at our fingertips – literally. Want some avocados from Mexico? Yes please. Berries from California? Don’t mind if I do. We eat what we want when we want it, as long as we are willing to pay the prices in the grocery stores.
Farm to table is often marketed as a culinary experience. You go to the farm and have a tour. When you return to the farmhouse, you have a meal based on the food you saw growing, prepared by a chef. You know what is on your plate and where it comes from!
Farmers Markets as an Experience
Many people who want to eat farm to table as an ongoing way of life use farmers markets to purchase their food directly from farmers. Farmers markets have become a community event and are even marketed as tourist attractions. Farmers buy tables at an open market, and people come and buy what they have available directly from them. You can get everything from produce to meat to locally harvested honey and maple syrup!
Farmers markets are a wonderful way to reconnect with where our food comes from. You can talk to the people actually growing your food and find out what they use for pesticides, what their philosophy is on animal treatment, and who they are as people. Buying food directly from the farmer is a pretty incredible experience.
Teaching Children Where their Food Comes From
In an article published in 2021, scientists asked children where their food came from. Almost half of the children surveyed thought that bacon came from a plant, and french fries were a form of meat. As someone who grew up on a hobby farm, this blows me away! How are children supposed to grow into responsible adults who are aware of environmental concerns if they have no connection to the food they eat and how we grow it?
Walking a farmers market is kind of like staying to the outer edges of the aisles in the grocery store. There is no packaged food available. This can be a win-win for parents. Imagine your child having a melt down over wanting a pint of blueberries instead of a bag of spun sugar! It’s easy to say yes to their requests.
The Pros and Cons of Farmers Markets
This magazine talks a lot about how you can make farmers markets work for you. But, is it keto? Absolutely! In fact, it’s the healthiest form of keto there is. It is a myth that we don’t eat carbs. We just eat fruit and vegetables that are low in carbs and are also packed with nutrients and vitamins. Eating farm to table gives an opportunity to eat fresh, healthy food and directly support your local farms.
So, why isn’t everyone using farmers markets? Well, it’s not there everyday, which is a downside as we have become used to having a grocery store open for our convenience. The food is usually a bit more expensive, because they aren’t selling to distributors in bulk. And, because it has become such a community experience, it can be very busy and hectic when they are there. There are some downsides.
What About the Winter
The biggest downside to shopping at farmers markets is that it is usually seasonal – especially in colder climates. We need to get back to planning ahead for winter and buy enough in season food to freeze and can for the winter. That’s a lot of work when there is a grocery store open 24 hours just down the street. But, don’t worry – our magazine also offers tips for freezing and canning fresh food to avoid wastage and offer a little flavour of summer in the dead of winter.
We hope you enjoy our newest magazine, and that it inspires you this spring to reconnect with the food you eat. Even if you buy some berries and freeze some, you’ll be happy you did when the snow is blowing and you can have a strawberry shortcake made from local berries.
Wendy
