For the past few weeks, I have been frequenting the Houston Farmers Market in order to pick up fresh local products. I currently buy milk, eggs, and honey, since most veggies are not producing now. Now that the heat is letting up, I'm hoping for more produce in the next few weeks. I would eventually love to buy all locally grown food, but in this climate and with my income, it just isn't feasible.

I love being able to meet the people who tend the earth and animals, rather than just buying something from the grocery. I love to see the passion on their faces when they talk about the health benefits of their products, or why they just simply taste better. I love that my money is going to support a family in the community, rather than just a big box store. It's much more personal, and that's something that I really appreciate.

Someday I hope to have a large enough garden of my own, where my family and I can put up enough produce to last all year. Maybe I will try my hand at chickens (for eggs, anyway). I've always loved to garden, and I hope to someday enjoy the fruits of that work physically and spiritually. But for now, I'm content to buy just a few local things, and the rest at the supermarket.

Lindsey over at Enjoy the Journey recently finished a series of posts about food culture which I found fascinating. Sneak over there and read the whole series; it's definitely worth it! I plan to read the book she recommended, which is called "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life" by Barbara Kingsolver. I'll let you know what I think of the book in a later post, and hopefully my ideas of food culture and environmental responsibility as Christians will become more clear, and I'll be able to flesh out my thoughts.