I've been writing this farm newsletter for a long time now, and a few of you have been reading it since the early days.  I'm wondering if there is anything that subscribers would like to see a column about that I haven't covered?  My goal after all is to keep you reading and interested.  Any and all suggestions will be considered.

I recently saw a cartoon depicting the parking lot of a Gym/Health Club in January filled with cars, and then a month later almost empty.  Every year in January we also see a spike in new members joining, what I call the "Resolution Subscribers".  It's not the time of year we would ideally like to lots of new members, but I understand the phenomena.  If you're a new member I hope you are still subscribing when spring and summer produce starts to arrive.

People have many reasons for joining Terra Firma's CSA, but eating healthier seems to be one of the biggest.  There is always some new fad diet being promoted, but healthy eating is not complicated if you try to stick to a single rule:  Cook your own food as often as possible using only whole foods with few or no added ingredients.  Our CSA boxes are a great place to start, and making their contents the centerpiece of your diet each week will help keep you on track.

You don't need to deny yourself to eat healthy this way.  Fats, dairy, meat, salt and sugar are not unhealthy when you eat and use them in moderation as part of a diet that is based on plants.  The most critical part of a whole foods diet is that YOU control how much you use and eat.

When you go to the store, shop around the edges.  Don't buy anything in a box.  Stay away from products with ingredients that aren't whole foods -- organic as well as conventional.  Boycott any product made by Kraft, Pillsbury, Coca Cola or any other corporation that has ads on TV.  Most of you probably do this already.

Michael Moss has a new book out about the food manufacturing industry and how complicit it is in making Americans sick.  There was a long article in last week's New York Times that touched on the high points, but the basic point is this:  Big Food knows it is killing people, but it doesn't care because the profits are so good.  The government, i.e, the FDA, does nothing because they are in bed with the industry.  The first step in fighting back is simply to vote with your dollars, and joining our CSA is one of those votes.

Thanks for subscribing,



Pablito