This post was inspired by Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. It is a worthy read and I plan on reviewing it here even though it is not really about fitness- but it is about FOOD- which we all adore.

We have traveled all over Italy and the common theme throughout all five trips was food. But, not food that is shipped in from a thousand miles away, but, food that can be grown locally within 50 miles. Almost all of the places we ate in had written their menu’s based on what is FRESH that day, week, month. And we ate so well. Italians get excited about mushrooms that they go hunting for, for gosh sakes! Do American’s do that? No. When the chestnut trees are ripe, they make chestnut flour and we had an amazing cake made out of flour, raisins and a few eggs. If you’ve had a chance to read Bella Tuscany by Frances Mayes, French Women Don’t Get Fat, or any book about Italy really- the focus is on food- but nobody is fat! They eat pasta daily- but it’s fresh, rich and they eat very small portions. They love vegetables. Everybody has a garden and the biggest discussion of the day is how to cook certain things. They also have the most amazing farmer’s markets and they SHOP Daily for what is fresh at the moment. We American’s want to shop once a week and stock up. I, for one, have a pantry full of “what if’s”! It’s a different way of life but really isn’t it better? They don’t eat packaged anything! They know the pig farmer, the chicken farmer and they hunt the wild boars for dinner!

On becoming a (not a hippie) farmer:

You’re going to think I’m nuts, but, I have already started planting my summer vegetables in seed starters! I’ve also been making huge efforts to buy the produce that is fresh RIGHT NOW from the local home owners. I live in Southern California where the average temperature is 75 degrees so I am also making it a point to seek out the local farmers and buy what they have that’s fresh. And, at the grocery store, I’ve started asking, “what’s locally grown?” And I’m going to start talking to friends who know where their meat comes from and what the turkeys and chickens eat (hubby will agree on the BETTER flavor)! There are ways to find this information out such as checking LocalHarvet.Org, also check this site for certified, organic farmers who are selling to the public (link), and start asking around! The best thing that can happen from switching from shipped in to local is that You Might Enjoy the Flavor More!

Italian Inspired Dishes with fresh produce:

Shrimp Salad with (canned tomatoes), capers, lemon juice, olive oil, and celery.

Fritatta with Kale and Ricotta.

Are you an organic shopper? Do you have a local farmer’s market you could go to? For those of you on the east coast, I know there are ways to get the good stuff, you just gotta look!