(Submitted by Michelle)
As I mentioned in an earlier post, our family was fortunate to enjoy some Rocky Mountain adventures a couple of months ago (thanks to our awesome crew holding down the fort here!)  After our escapades in Colorado, we spent the second part of our trip in cool, dry Montana.  We found ourselves driving through miles and miles of golden wheat fields.  We saw farmers cutting & baling hay.  We watched combines harvesting wheat and massive sprinkler systems nurturing fields of alfalfa.  It was extra-special to us because all of our whole wheat in the bakery comes from this area!  We contract with family farms throughout Montana to bring us the finest hard red wheat in the world.

After an awesome week, our drive home consisted of 36 driving hours (over 2,000 miles) with 4 kids in a Suburban.  Thank you Dallas for that DVD player!  With lots of time on my hands, I began reading Food and Faith, a book of essays compiled by Michael Schut.  How appropriate!  Have you ever wondered where exactly the food that we eat comes from?  Who is growing our food?  This book has opened my eyes to the ecological impacts of agribusiness and how family farms are sadly being replaced by huge corporations.  I've learned about the sacramental aspect of food and the power that I have to eat responsibly!  This book has prompted me to be mindful of what I'm eating; to contemplate the work of the farmers and those who have had a hand in allowing me to eat the plate of food before me. 

Now when I eat a slice of our whole grain bread, I can see the farmers working in the fields and picture the beautiful plants that died so that I might live!

One more thing.....If you'd like to visit a family farm in our own backyard, check out Gotreaux's.  If you'd like to get your own hands in some of that fertile dirt, check out Earthshare Gardens.