Food for thought

Please stop by our barn loft during open hours to peruse “Food for Thought.” This is an artistic showcase by local artists in partnership with The Exchange.  "Food for Thought" is artistic representative of food culture.  When you visit, please consider bringing nonperishable food items which will be donated to the Bloomsburg Food Cupboard.  The showcase runs through November 17th

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Food for Thought.
 
Does anyone else think about food a lot?  So much of our lives revolve around food; after all, it is essential to sustaining us and it is a centerpiece for our social lives.  This can be at home around the dinner table, grabbing food at the sports game, gathering at a local restaurant…the list easily goes on.  
 
As I reflect on the year so far, I can say that it was an amazing summer.  Growing food lends itself to some tasty recipes and satisfying consumptions.  There really is no comparison to a fresh, local, harvest.  Oftentimes at the end of a long summer day, I would still make time to get something prepared and stashed away in the freezer because I knew that me and my family love to eat all of these yummy foods in the winter!  
 
Fall harvest is equally delicious: fresh apples, pumpkins, squash and vine ripened tomatoes all make for savory aromas and tasty treats.  I have already started to prepare pumpkin and squash for our freezer because pumpkin is a popular food in our home!  So far, we’ve made Pumpkin French toast, pumpkin sticky buns, pumpkin muffins, butternut squash mac and cheese and a favorite in our home … pumpkin bars!  (Click here for some recipes)
 
One of my favorite things to do is introduce people to farm fresh foods. I especially love to encourage kids to try food that is healthy and nutritious for them.  Whether it’s at camp, a cooking class, workshop or a field trip tour, I take every opportunity to encourage people of all ages to try new foods and to source food from their local farms.  Seeing kids’ reaction to Spaghetti Squash is probably my favorite.  I am always hopeful that the silliness of it will encourage curiosity, and in turn, the kids will ask a grown up to give it a try.  
 
Conversely, A lack of food will consume someone’s thoughts equally, if not more so.  As we head into the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, we know the need is great.  Recently, I've had too many hard conversations that I wish weren’t reflective of reality.  The reality that children go without food on the weekends, that there are longer lines at the food pantry, a huge need for winter coats; the list goes on and on. 
 
Ultimately, we want to help change the systemic problems, we want to be able to help create longer term solutions, but we have to start somewhere.  For a child to be successful, they need a capacity to learn and to rest, which is not drowned out by the voice of hunger or cold.   If we can reach one child with food education, and that one child determines to make a difference in their family and their community, that is where we will see permanent change start to blossom.  
 
So once again as we move into this holiday season, please be generous to the needs that are all around you.  I encourage you to work directly with well-established organizations who steward their resources well.  I also encourage you to continue to be intentional with supporting local and small businesses for your Christmas shopping.  Simple, intentional decision-making may seem minor, but together they can make a big impact.  And that, my friends, is some food for thought. 
 
I pray the Hope of this season fills your heart and home, 
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