Hello!

I'd like to introduce myself as I'm new to this group.

Not long ago a member of the farm I work for sent in a recommendation of the
cookbook Nourishing Traditions, and we published a short review in our farm
newsletter. I myself took great interest, as this member's description of
the ideas on nutrition in the book sounded very similar to my own personal
beliefs.

I purchased the book, and have begun trying out many of the cooking tips.
My love for meat, vegetables, butter and olive oil notwithstanding, the book
calls for some rather radical changes in diet and cooking habits: using
tropical oils, soaking grains, and fermenting vegetables were not exactly
regular habits for me. Part of my motivation in joining this group is that
it will be useful for me to have people to ask for advice on buying and
using these new ingredients.

I hope I'll be able to offer the group something as well. My farm, Eatwell
Farm in Dixon, grows a wide variety of organic fruits and vegetables
and--through our CSA--we deliver a seasonal box of produce to Davis each
Wednesday. My partner Kyle began raising pastured chickens for eggs on the
farm in February, and we'll begin offering egg shares in late summer.

Part of my job is to help our farm members make the transition to eating
local, seasonal produce with recipes and cooking tips. We publish a
newsletter that is delivered with our boxes filled with recipes, cooking
tips, and news from the farm. I'm sure many of you are already associated
with CSAs or have favorite farms you buy from at the farmer's market. I'm
not trying to lure you away from these other farms; on the contrary, I
believe that strong loyalties to the people who grow our food, as opposed to
fickle consumerism, are key to keeping alternative sources of food viable
and encouraging the establishment of new sources.

This is an exciting time in the local food movement: with stories on organic
farming and CSAs regularly in the news, the mainstream is showing increasing
interest in what we're doing. I'm excited to find that the Weston Price
Foundation is helping carry out many of the educational goals that brought
me to Community Supported Agriculture originally. Our culture is dying of
junk food! I hope by working together we can bring awareness of independent
research on nutrition, whole foods, and the needs of the people who bring
them to us: farmers.

Tom