Where in the World is Mrs. Fallon? 2022: St. Johnsbury, Vermont and Randolph, Nebraska

Sign for St. Johnsbury's Farmer's Market

So many people eating the right things!

Sometimes, I feel like there are these forces that are converging on me. Let me explain.

Force #1: My Swedish Family: When my healthy and vibrant Swedish family came this summer, I listened to many discussions and debates about how to eat right as we shared so many meals together over the three weeks that there were here in the United States. We all want to be healthy and live well, but we have a better chance of doing that if we are fueling our engines in the right way. My cousin Katherina was concerned about how much sugar and bread we consumed as a part of our everyday diet. I vowed to eat better and get back into my exercise regimen.

Force #2: My Summer Eating habits on the road: Well, 18 pounds later into the summer, Derrick and Colin had arrived from Nebraska. As we were making our way into the latest Batman movie, we took an interesting aside into the back parking lot of the Star Theater in downtown St. Johnsbury. The old Grandpa's Cigar parking lot was now host (okay maybe it's been there for years and I just didn't know) to a Farmer's Market with tents as far as the eye could see. I was mesmerized... Check out of the youtube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcIZzoYnj9I&feature=em-share_video_user) about this little piece of heaven. Here there were farm fresh veggies and crafts, and it gave me hope. Not only did I know that I had to start eating better, I had in front of me the proof that I could access this healthier food, if I really wanted to make a difference in my eating habits.

Force #3: Meanwhile back in Randolph even in horrific drought conditions, our friends the Pfanstiels were kicking off the pilot year of their foray into starting a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), Pfanny's Farm- Abundant Life CSA. You can read more about it at http://www.localharvest.org/pfannys-farmabundant-life-csa-M39163. Community Members can buy shares in their farm and get a heaping bin of farm fresh goodies throughout the summer. I didn't buy a share because with Colin and Ian in Omaha for most of the time now, Derrick holding down the fort in Randolph and me off in Vermont, we couldn't use a whole bin either. As soon as we returned from Vermont, there was Julie offering a sample of their farm goods online, and I jumped at the opportunity. When I started delving deeply into this bucket, I found vegetables that I hadn't even heard about since my grandmother was alive. Swiss chard really? Beets... why didn't I like those again? Those fresh vegetables brought back memories of food my Grammie Catherine used to make... priceless. The hours we spent talking in her kitchen as she canned are the foundation of any wisdom I ever had...

Force #4 Friends: My College pals eat right and they know why they do it. As I am serving up the hamburgers and hot dogs at the cabin this summer, they were sneaking off to the barbeque to grill up some ... eggplant. Excuse me? As a matter of fact, once I came into the kitchen and found my girlfriend's son, Nathan staring at all of the donuts, muffins, and cookies. When I asked him if he wanted something, he confess that he wanted to try it all because they get to eat stuff that's "bad for you" at his house. OUCH! Hey, I am glad I could give him a little life experience in the kitchen of a sugar junky who is about to go through rehabilitation!

... And last night Pfanny's Farm- Abundant Life- CSA offered a workshop about preserving food. What a gift! Not only now, can we eat better, but we can eat better year round. And have fun while learning...