Slowly waking up from the long, cold winter slumber, the springtime world offers much to marvel at. Indeed, springtime can be a wondrous time of year particularly for small children as they begin to actively explore and observe the changes in the world around them. Reconnecting with the soil in family and community gardens, with local farms, and renewing CSA subscriptions are all wonderful ways of teaching children about the natural rhythms of seasons and growing cycles.

Photo by Mitchell's Farm

These farm-to-table activities are also powerful ways of countering the increasingly commodified and consumer-oriented world of childhood. This month we look at how selling kids' food has become big business, and how parents can teach their children about "real food".

Over the last thirty years grocery stores have been transformed from sedate outlets for ingredients to a dizzying Disneyland of processed snacks disguised as meals. The shelves are lined, floor to ceiling, with supposedly kid-friendly foods. Most are shrink-wrapped and packaged in countless clever ways with shiny, colorful, and crinkly foils and plastics. Frozen foods are marketed as timesaving, healthful options for "families on the go." And ready-made cereal bars, juice boxes, and pre-packaged school lunches are now staples in the average busy American household.

"Fast food" has come to mean more than just the occasional "Happy Meal" picked up from the drive-thru. A reliance on convenience now anchors the entire industrial food production chain that mass produces and mass markets processed, nutrient-deprived food for young consumers. It is a devastating fact that children are most directly impacted by our societal disengagement from our food sources. (Read on...)

With Spring's approach, succulent salad greens will soon be appearing in the farmer's market. You can dress yours in style with our farm-pressed California olive oil, gourmet smoked sea salt from Maine, fresh meyer lemons, and aged garlic vinegar. Your taste buds will sing!

Been meaning to join a CSA this season? There's still time! Click here to find a CSA farm near you.

Ordering garden seeds also on your To Do list? Get yours here, direct from family farmers.

We just saw an excellent short film about organic farming and want to recommend it. It features several organic farmers from Ohio; they describe why and how they came to organic farming and it is beautiful. Definitely worth 15 minutes of your time! (View it Here)

Since ancient times, people have been cultivating avocados in Mexico, Central America, and parts of South America. Several LocalHarvest farmers in Southern California also grow avocados, and this year's harvest is in! This is the best time of year to enjoy their great taste and incredible health benefits. (Read on...)

As always, thanks for your interest in and support of LocalHarvest.org! See you next month, and until then, take good care and eat well!