This past week my new man and I (oops, did I let that slip?) started planting our garden. Can I just stop a moment and say how much fun it was to share this with my man? I even looked at him and said "Oh, I got me a farmer!!!" And laughed. We even took a drive out to one of our local farms to pick out a few heirloom tomato plants and some other items to transplant. You guys should know by now that whole foods and organic produce cranks my tractor (See what I did there?) And having someone to share this with is superb!

Being able to grow your own produce is such a wonderful experience. To take a seed and watch it grow. To nurture it along the way and then to have it wind up in your dish and on your plate to me, is a wonderful thing! 

However, some of us cannot nor will not be able to or choose to dive in and that's okay! This is where knowing your farmer comes in! This is key because your farmer is the person who grows and cares for the food you eat; he/she is also the person you can talk to about it.

You can ask the important questions of whether or not it is organic. Have they used pesticides? What produce comes in what season? After all, they're not only making a living (hopefully!) off of the food they're making but they're usually passionate about it. Passionate producers not only can answer questions about what goes into your food, but they'll have the answers to questions a grocery store can't. 

Supporting your farmer will also strengthen your local economy and revitalize your community. You're putting your money back into your local community, get it?

Eating locally and regionally cuts down on transportation and storage costs. Buying directly from your farmer or through your local farmers' market is generally cheaper than the grocery store in the long haul and most importantly, returns more profit to the farmer than when you purchase indirectly. And yes, you should care about these issues! 

Studies have shown that when you buy from an independent, locally owned business, rather than a nationally owned businesses, more of your money is used to make purchases from other local businesses, service providers AND FARMS which continue to strengthen the local economic base of the community. You see? It comes back around to benefit you! In more ways than one.

Let's face it, farming is hard work! It's not for the faint of heart. It's physically demanding, dependent upon the weather (which can be as temperamental as a lot of people I know), and it's not particularly lucrative. But talk to a farmer and you'll understand the passion they have for the job! And without their passion and know-how, we wouldn't be able to eat sustainablely. And THAT is crucial. This should be of utmost importance. Making sure you and your family stay healthy and eat healthy to fight off disease should be on your top list of priorities.

If we ever want to take back our food system we have to support small food business owners. The biodynamic and medicinal farmers, the dairy farmers, the local honey farms, the organic meat producers, sustainable butchers and all those in between are imperative to our food system. 

Get to know your local farmer! Support local. It will all come back to benefit you in the end, in more ways than one. 

This week marks one year since my return to the Wiregrass area and I've been asking myself "Where has the time gone?" It seems like just yesterday I was pulling in from Illinois and unloading all my things. I spent seven long years in the Midwest and though I loved the summers the winters were horrendous. Snow is fun for about a week. ​I'm a native Floridian, though we moved to the Dothan area when I was in grammar school, so I do claim this as my hometown, and I do NOT like cold weather.

It's been such a joy to be home, to run off to the beach on the fly, to be close to family and to start a new season in my life. There are great things back in the Midwest that I truly miss such as really great food, so many things to do (GO BEARS) and an array of specialty markets, etc. (and the friends I made), but there are so many amazing things here that I am truly enjoying. Things that I once took for granted. 

Upon my return and having made my decision to enter into the world of Personal Chef, I knew I really wanted to focus on clean eating, whole foods, nutrition and utilizing sustainable ingredients. To me this was going to be a HUGE piece of the puzzle. I quickly began researching the local farmers, farmers markets and of course found out about MARKETATDOTHAN and got so excited (like a little kid at Christmas) being able to order LOCAL organic, sustainable and natural foods especially as it relates to natural produce, meat and dairy.

​This was and is extremely important to me. It's part of my journey to get and stay healthy and aligns with the goal of helping others in their journey.  I so am grateful for the amazing farming and agriculture community we have in our area. ​

Having the ability to actually bring FARM to TABLE means so much. It means knowing where your food comes from, where it's sourced, how it's grown, and creating relationships with the growers and producers is critical. I've been so fortunate to have been able to get out and meet so many great farmers and growers who are open to sharing about their farms and how they operate and that means I know what's on my plate. I know I can trust the folks I'm buying from and the products they sell me, and that my clients are going to be getting the best ingredients around. Which in the end means the best FOR you and the best tasting of the end product!

This spring I was able to take Mom out to Gaucho
Farms and pick blueberries, something we haven't
done together since I was a child. We had so much fun.
I connected with Suzanne, the owner of the farm, and she
gladly took me on a tour and told me more about the 
place. We took home some amazing goodies to put in the 
freezer and I immediately made GF Blueberry Muffins 
with my loot! They were delicious and so fresh. 

You've got to love the words "ALL NATURAL & LOCALLY
GROWN". Come on, really! 

They do have amazing fresh pastured eggs and lamb, I highly recommend. And next spring, make sure to go out with the youngins and pick blueberries.

So, when I'm not out at a farm touring or meeting with the local growers, seeking and finding sustainable yums to bring home to see what I can come up with in a new recipe, I'm also a Personal Chef in clients homes cooking their meals for the week, or Private Dinner parties. I also provide Private Cooking Classes for one to six people, and have been know to bake specialty items such as I did for my YOGA STUDIO for their One Year Birthday Celebration (cause I love my peeps), or like today - I'm creating Meal Plans for TWO clients who are a Diabetic and on a Gout Diet helping them along their journey to health.

Oh, and I have a couple of upcoming speaking engagements coming up, in case you'd like to come out and take part. The first will be on Saturday, September 30th on "Transitioning to Gluten-Free" and the second will be Saturday, November 11th on "Healing through Healthy Eating". And while you're there, you can mix and mingle with the growers in the area (SEE INFO BELOW). For more information on the Food Festival go to Marketatdothan. I do look forward to meeting you at the Food Festival and cooking with or for you soon.

So, what's it like to be a Personal Chef in Dothan Alabama? It's pretty freaking awesome!

This post was written by Susan Avello, Personal Chef at Lean Bean Chef Personal Chef Services in Dothan Alabama - offering Healthy Meal Prep, Meal Planning, Private Cooking Classes, Private Dinner Parties and Education on Healthy Eating. ​