Nurturing Our Bodies

"Naturally Nurtured, is a blog about life as stewards of the land, the animals in our care, and life on a farm...and caring for each other. Nurturing our bodies is a great responsibility and sometimes is not always as easy as it seems.

Since I am a "foodie" as well as a farmer, I write a blog dedicated to nutrients and food.

http://natlnutrients.blogspot.com/

I grew up Italian, so alot of emphasis was placed on great meals. Family holidays, and every day were special when it came to mealtime. My mother, grandparents, and Aunts were all great cooks - and many of my cousins and siblings now carry the tradition. Eating wholesome good food is in resurgence - Thank goodness!! There is no better way to nurture someone, in my opinion, than to provide the best ingredients toward eating nutritiously, providing a foundation for staying healthy, and nurturing our lovely bodies.

My grandmothers made homemade pasta and pizza. My Aunt put on a spectacular seven course meal for each Christmas Eve. My mother found numerous meal combinations each night of our young lives at 5 o'clock dinnertime - all very gourmet. One of my favorites was eggplant parmiggiana. A lunch snack was a simple frittata. My father had his specialties, like pineapple parfait, and filet mignon on the grill. My Aunt treated us to her home made banana cream pies, cream puffs, madelines, and apple butter cookies. My sister became a chef, and had many successful restaurants, we received many great meals. One sister took over the tradition of struffula, a Christmas honey desert, and made a great seafood salad. And another sister, a fan of minimalist techniques, uses herbs and spices - artfully tantalizing the palate! My cousin is especially good at cooking a guys buffet of hot peppers, onions, sausage, and meatballs.

Everything we grow on this farm begins with nurturing in mind. We nurture the soil, so it in turn, nurtures us, and the people that support our farm. And through a great variety of heirloom vegetables, I 've become my own humble cook. And we are fortunate to get our brick oven, I have finally learned to make a good dough, and I can feel Grandma gleaming with pride!