We received a heartwarming email from CSA member Rachel M. last week, on behalf of her two year old son, Paul. Rachel wanted to make sure we knew how much Paul loved his farm vegetables. Their family joined the CSA when Paul was just three weeks old, so he doesn’t remember NOT being a CSA member.
“Yesterday, when we were eating some roasted beets, he kept asking for ‘more beets Farmer Dave grow.'” Today, knowing we would be going to the farm to pick up more veggies, he asked me ‘Farmer Dave on red tractor? Picking more kale?'”…..All your veggies make me feel like a better parent — I love it that because of our CSA share, Paul says things like “me like kohlrabi! me have kale smoomie? (smoothie)”. So, from me and my son Paul, thank you for all the hard work you put into growing veggies for us!”
As farmers, this is a major reason why we do what we do and find our work so satisfying. We commonly hear about small children who have no idea that vegetables are anything but delicious. Toddlers look forward to the CSA box with just as much anticipation as adults.
“I want to open my Farmer Dave’s box! I’m so happy to open my Farmer Dave’s box. What’s inside?” – the son of a Farmer Dave’s team member
They help themselves to fresh fruits and veggies from the fridge, instead of (or in addition to) cookies from the cookie jar.
“I find half eaten cucumbers and peppers in random rooms in my house.” – A Dracut CSA member
Many parents feel a lot of pressure around feeding their children healthy foods. We love knowing that the work we do takes some of the pressure off, allowing the youngest eaters among us the joy of eating simple, fresh, delicious food because they love it, not because they have to. Their earliest memories of fresh, local produce are easy, pleasurable, and fun ones. We are proud and humbled to be a part of these important years in forming their lifelong attitudes towards food.
And for many of the adults among us, this is the time of year when life gets hectic, schedules become busier, and the school year begins. If you find yourself more overwhelmed with the produce this time of year, try taking a cue from some of these kiddos. Pull a tomato, pepper, cucumber out of the fridge and just much on it – no preparation required, or with a simple dip if you prefer. A few veggie snacks per day will make a serious dent in your weekly share! (And if you are looking to can or freeze some of it for winter use, we have some resources on our website.)
Here’s to simplicity and joy and wide-eyed wonderment!
Bethany
(filling in for Farmer Dave in this week’s newsletter, and mother of a three year old)
Snarky, fun, and scathing! Great post!
Earlier this week I visited a new gym where I am considering training this winter when it gets too cold for the porch gym. Even though it’s a bit of a drive from my home, I was tempted to try it out, because of the weightlifting expertise of the coaches. After trying it out though, I decided to hold off on joining, for a couple reasons: parenting, and enjoyment of training. Both of these are high priorities for me, so it is important for me to balance these priorities with my weightlifting training.
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I participate and lurk in a few facebook groups where the focus is on moderation, balance, and healthy habits. I get a lot out of these groups, or I wouldn’t participate.
There is a tradition in these groups that I love in and of itself, but I don’t love the name of the tradition. (I realize that writing about something I dislike officially makes me a blogger with too much time on my hands and no really serious problems to worry about, and for that, I am grateful!).
The tradition I am referring to is the “Non Scale Victory” (NSV) post.
If we are acknowledging that there are many victories that are more important than the number on the scale, why do we even use the word “scale” in front of a victory that has nothing to do with a scale? Why do we need to use a qualifier such as “non-scale?” I can see two possible reasons:
- To encourage women to think outside the (scale) box when thinking about their victories (and I’m all in favor of this!!)
- Because, deep down, some of us may still feel like the scale is king, and other victories aren’t AS good, and so need to be held to a different standard.
How can we label our victories more descriptively based on what they are, instead of what they are not? Why not call it a “Mindset Victory” or “Healthy Habit Victory” or “Moderation Victory” or “Chilling the F*ck Out Victory” or “Body Image Victory” or “Kitchen Victory” or “PR Victory” or “Gym Victory” or “Showing Up Victory” or “Standing Up for Myself Victory” or just plain “Victory?”
Obviously this is not a huge issue in terms of all the more significant problems of the world. Just some food for thought!
Lately I’ve been feeling as though I am losing some of my cardio conditioning. And I probably am! I’ve dropped metcon workouts, and my health has steadily improved since. But I’ve also been pretty sedentary, other than weightlifting workouts, if I’m being honest. Something about all the heavy squats makes laying around very appealing. And it’s been hot. I’m not a summer person. My favorite season is fall. I like milder weather.
So, when I noticed getting more winded when walking up steep hills, it was tempting to mentally examine where in my schedule I could fit some metcons in. And then I realized I was jumping from two to one hundred in one fell swoop.
Why not try an in-between step? A month or so ago I added a healthy habit goal to my list that involved going for walks. If I was having trouble motivating myself to go for walks, which I actually enjoy, what made me think adding metcons would be any more successful? So, I’m choosing to focus more on the walking habit. As they say….”you have to learn to walk before you can learn to run.” Or something like that.
Anyway, I took a trail walk with my kiddo the other day, and walked him to the babysitter’s house yesterday instead of driving. Both times I really enjoyed the walk and the bonding experience. I was tired yesterday, but I felt better after the walk than I did before. That should tell me something.
How else can one apply this principle? I hear friends talk about overhauling their diets all. the. time. And then getting down on themselves when they can’t maintain the restrictions for more than a few hours/days/weeks/months. Why not change one meal at a time? Set a goal to eat (protein for, veggies for, fruit for, or just plain eat) breakfast? Or to eat enough at lunchtime so you aren’t starving at night? One goal at a time. Walk before you run.
Have you used this principle to make any habit changes in your life? I’d love to hear about some other examples!
If you were looking for proof that our culture is unbelievably messed up around dieting, health, and weight, you need look no further than the fact that a study has come out called “Dietary restraint of 5-year-old girls: Associations with internalization of the thin ideal and maternal, media, and peer influences.”
Power, Peace, and the Porch Gym 