Farm-to-table eating emerged as a trend years ago and remains popular today. It involves locally grown items that are sold to area restaurants or directly to consumers.
The trend is a bit amusing to me, because I’ve been eating locally grown foods most of my life, and I’m now 56.
My parents weren’t foodies by today’s definition, but they liked to eat, and they always made sure their eight children enjoyed nutritious meals, which wasn’t easy, considering six of those kids were boys and each one possessed a hearty appetite.
Our summer meals included fresh vegetables and fruit, thanks to our dad.
Dad’s job in sales had him driving throughout northern Illinois, and he found many of the farm stands with the best produce offerings. We lived in Arlington Heights, but most of western Cook County was still rural and farm stands were plentiful. Dad knew where all the good farm stands were located, including several in DeKalb and Kane counties.
Dad drove an old station wagon in those days, one with space enough for the entire family. He would load the car’s rear section with boxes containing everything from apples to zucchini. And he could tell you details about each type of fruit and every kind of vegetable.
My siblings and I are much older today, but we continue to enjoy chowing down on locally grown produce. It’s all linked to our childhood, when eating farm-to-table items was just the way most people ate every day. So make time before this summer is over to enjoy plenty of farm-fresh produce. It will do you good.
I am KevinBotterman, and that’s my perspective.
