So, I am on this diet of sorts. Not to loose weight... not to fit into 'skinny jeans'.... but to live a full and healthy life. The 'diet' is simply eating the cleanest, freshest food I possibly can. If the names of things that go into my foods don't fit properly in my mouth than neither does the food!

With summer in its full, sweltering swing comes the many awesome markets around the island of Montreal. Our fav stop is the Jean Talon Market and our finest purchase there is the highly anticipated, seasonal Fresh Corn from  The King of Corn / Le Roi du Mais, that also supply freshly boiled cobs with butter and salt to taste! We have to wait a bit longer, as the corn season is not yet upon us. Let me assure you, it is worth the wait.

As a family, we have made the decision to (do our very best to!) eat seasonal, local food. I cringe a little now when I go to buy some juicy Bosc pairs and see that they have travelled all the way from Argentina. Even at the markets, you can find surprises... I never used to take the time to look at the stickers or labels. In my never-ending quest to enjoy the moments, I now choose to slow down, take some time and read. I inform myself, teach my children the information and make better choices. 

Two weekends ago, we went on a family outing on a guided, informative tour of Lufa Farms. If you haven't heard of them yet, you will. Urban, rooftop gardening is something that I believe is in our global future. As cities become more congested and farming becomes less about providing healthy, natural produce and more about mass production, we will come to rely on the local initiatives like Lufa Farms. You can read more about Lufa farms here and can even set up your own tour to see first hand, how urban spaces can contribute to the health of a city.

We wanted to test their produce so we signed up for a basket which, unlike some food basket programs, is completely customizable. It begins with a set produce basket that you can then switch around, delete and add to as you wish. This is all done at the online 'Market Place" and is very easy to navigate. Lufa Farms also partners with other surrounding area farms to provide more than just produce, like fresh baked breads, chutneys, jams, spices, oils and other food fair. In our trial basket ($32) we selected Oakleaf lettuce, Rainbow Swiss Chard, Broccoli, Kholrabi, two bouquets of Greens, Sunflower Microgreen Shoots and the most delicious bag of Dried Cranberries I've ever tasted. We did order the lovely flowering Lebanese Cucumbers and a head of Cauliflower as well but they were missing from our basket. A quick call to Lufa Farms and I was immediately speaking to a real person who simply credited my account the amount of the missing produce and apologized for the error. I can see how most of this produce would be gobbled up within a few days and so the medium basket we chose will probably need to be upgraded to comfortably feed our family of four. Although the minimum medium basket price must be met, you can add as much as you like! 

I am a mom and I want to.... more importantly... NEED to be around for a long time. I want that time to be healthy and productive while doing as little damage to my surroundings as possible. Little steps are where we can all begin. Go ahead and toddle around the markets. Take a step towards being an informed consumer and read the stickers on your pears. Check out Lufa Farms and the what they are working towards. Decide for yourself whether you really need that bag of organic apples that come from far away places or if you can settle for the locally grown variety. Most of all, slow down and be sure to enjoy every bite of food that passes your lips!

Enjoy the view,

Tanis