Farm to Table

Imagine a meal where you knew exactly where your food originated:  not what grocery store sold it or what truck delivered it, but who grew it and where and how it was grown.

Imagine that the meal was farm-cooked meal while a local band played and you drank locally-brewed beer.  Imagine the following  (cue stomach growling):

• Appetizers:
• Cheddar pretzel bites with jalapeno mustard made with local honey and farm grown jalapenos  
• Fresh veggies and Feta Dip using farm-grown herbs
• Soup:  Hearty Tuscan Harvest Soup where the kale, chard, herbs and carrots came from a local farm 
• Salad:  Butternut Beet Poetry Salad with Asian Greens, beets, butternut squash and herbs from a neighborhood farm 
• Main Course:
• Grilled Sirloin with Roasted Carrots from Ozark Natural Beef and said local farm 
• Homegrown Veggie Hash made with eggplant, carrots, herbs, onions, peppers from the farm and potatoes from Homegrown Food
• Dessert:  Roast-It-Yourself S'mores with Askinosie Chocolate and homemade marshmallows

Imagine visiting that farm and seeing the care and the effort and the concern that went into growing and preparing the food.

Imagine that the animals are treated ethically and the vegetables are grown without herbicides or pesticides and that the run-off water does not pollute the soil or the groundwater around it.

Imagine that chickens and children run and play in the garden patches and smell the herbs and see the progression of the seeds to buds to flowers to food.

Imagine that the setting was lovely, the event was just downright fun, the food was great, the mosquitos held off, the rain didn't fall and the temperatures were that of early fall.

Imagine that such a place is here in Springfield, MO, just minutes away from where you live.  Urban Roots Farm, one of the local vendors at the Greater Springfield Farmer's Market, hosted such a dinner last Friday night. 

In a neighborhood just on the outskirts of the downtown area, we met Melissa and Adam Millsap, family and farmers and urban pioneers.  We toured their farm, learned of their passion for healthy food and healthy families, met new friends and relaxed with one of the best meals in town. 

Imagine that we all ate that way all the time: pesticide-free, locally grown food, well-prepared meals with friends, fun, and music. 

Imagine it.  Do it.  Go to your local farmer's market this weekend and support your friends and neighbors, your local farmers.  Your body will thank you for it.