Christmas Shopping

I want to be on this farmers market shopper's Christmas list! What a great idea to give family & friends locally produced products while supporting small farmers and businesses. As we are constantly bombarded in the news each passing day of the economic melt-down and unbridled corporate greed, it's time for responsible human beings to step forward and say "enough is enough". How do we do this? Just like Matt is doing...by supporting our local communities when we spend money, especially our food dollars. So this year for the holidays, instead of buying your loved ones fancy baubles and 'luxury' goods which were probably produced in some third-world country by slave labor, transported thousands of miles and resold at a hundred times their production cost only to line the pockets of faceless shareholders, consider shopping in your local communities. Check out the small family-owned stores in downtowns and forgo the big box discount stores. Look at the label and make a conscious effort to choose Made in the USA. And most importantly, when planning your holiday meals, keep your local farmers and producers in mind. I can guarantee that ham from a pastured pig or prime rib from grass-fed beef will not only be the best you've ever had, but help make the holidays brighter for those have dedicated their lives to bringing sustainably-raised food to your table.