When you look in your fridge, freezer or cupboard, how many faces can you put to your food?

As we continue to explore the Kootenay foodscape we're getting a chance to know so many of our local farmers and artisans. And because we now have access to so much locally-grown food we can now put a name and a face to most of the food we eat.

What we've begun to notice is that there is a myriad of feelings that comes with knowing the people who create your food. You feel grounded in the network of your community. You feel gratitude because you know how hard it was to make that food. You feel peace of mind because you know your food was made or grown with care and consideration - not just for the quality but for the land and local creatures as well. And you feel proud because you know your money is going to support a small local business, which is the backbone of any community.

Back in the day all food use to come with a relationship. Either to the people who made it or to the the land that grew it. Sadly those relationships have all but dwindled away. Supermarkets replaced local farms, home gardens and artisans. Our community ties were frayed and I think we all feel more lonely because of it.

It doesn't have to be this way however. We can rebuild. We can reconnect. We just have to venture outside of the conventional ways of buying food, remove the middlemen and become excited about exploring the vast foodscape that's in our backyard.