Food-Full Circle

In so many ways we are really disconnected from the food we eat.  Sure, we eat everyday and hopefully we enjoy what we eat.  But really, we are not connected to it.  We may not know how to grow it, raise it or cook it.  We may not be aware of the nutritional value or the harmful effects of our foods.  Many times we do not know from where in the world it comes or how safely it is produced.  Very few people get to actually know the farmer or the grower of the foods they purchase and eat.  

For a multitude of reasons I am really lucky to be having an experience in Italy.  One way in particular is to be a part of the full circle of food.  Here on the farm I am involved in every aspect of the animals we raise and the items we produce.  I have a hand in the birthing of piglets to the continued care and animal husbandry of them.  I help select the animals to be butchered, process the carcasses, spend hours making salumi and other cured products.  My hands then nurture the curing meats as they dry, age and develop their unique flavors.  And finally, I go to market once a month to interact with customers and  complete the circle of life, and death and food that sustains more life. After being accepted to this program, one of my goals was to complete this loop.  For over 20 years I've been involved with foodservice and food preparation in some way or form.  The impact of my Italian experience has been tremendous thus far and this is definitely the most connected I've been with my food and the processes involved in creating what we eat.  Remember, no matter how simple the food you're eating may appear, it's not simple at all.  In fact, it is, has been and continues to become more difficult everyday.  So I urge you, get connected in some way.  Plant it.  Cook it.  Read about it.  Ask about it.  Support farmers' markets.  At the very least, enjoy it and appreciate the full circle of food.....

Foodie in Firenze

There's no doubt about my love of food and also my desire to try new things.  Luckily I'm in Italy, a country that has taken its food very seriously for centuries and continues to keep those traditions alive today.  Nearly everyday I eat one, two, maybe ten foods that I've never had before.  Sometimes its something as simple as a perfectly ripe persimmon.  Other times it may be wild boar stew, cervo (venison) ragu, a local bread, or baba'.  Baba' is a typical dessert from Naples.  It consists of a spongy lightbulb-shaped cake, soaked in warm rum and served piping hot.  The flavors and textures were amazing as each bite presented new flavors of spicy rum, vanilla and apricot.  I slowly savored every mouthful while Tuscan friend commented on how I embraced each bite as if it was a completely brand new experience for me.  I recently enjoyed a 5 day festa (holiday) and had the chance to go to Firenze (Florence) with a dear friend visiting from the States.  She mirrored my approach to being in Italy; and that is to eat as often as you can and to eat whatever may be put in front of you.  These pictures show some of the edible highlights we enjoyed.  Hope they inspire you to try new things, food or otherwise, and chew slowly.  Savor life, don't devour it.....