So begins the squash attack!

The squash has begun to attack. I wait so patiently for my rows of squash to grow from their seed form and become the big bushy plants they are today. The flowers come and then the baby squash but just a little longer. And then BAM! the squash have officially attacked. Friday morning was my first harvest of my round globe zucchini and yellow crooknecked squash. This morning I harvested another bucket full of squash. They have started and will keep on coming daily until.....the squash bugs attack more than the power of the plants.  have already killed many squash bugs. Smashing them between my fingers and watching their guts spew out. It's quite delightful actually to kill them. But there are far too many. The babies have hatched and I know in a couple of days there will be way too many to handle. I actually don't think I care that much. I shall get enough squash out of these plants while they're here to get my squash fill for the year.

This morning I took an overflowing bucket of squash to church. I came home with this much left. Apparantely  need to do a better job of selling my free vegetables to people. They simply don't know what's good for them. Have I mentioned these are heirloom plants cultivated using organic growing practices? That should be a vitamin supplement right there. Power Food!

It's a good thing that I'm not making a living off of my garden because I would be real sad. It definitely makes me appreciate all those vegetable farmers out there that rely on their own work from sun-up to sun-down in order to feed us with all those essential nutritients found naturally in fruits and vegetables. They are sooooo under-appreciated.

I recently read an article taken from WorldArk, the magazine of heifer international (http://www.heifer.org/). It's titled, Eat Real Food and is an interview with Marion Nestle, author of books on the scientific, economc and social influences of foo choice, (http://www.foodpolitics.com/). I love the final interview question and agee with it wholeheartedly.

How would you sum up your food philosophy? She says, "Eat less, move more. Eat real food, not products. Support local farmers and grow food at home. Cook at home. Teach kids to cook; that's the most revolutionary thing you can do from the standpoint of food. I don't think it's any more complicated than that. Learn how to deal with food marketing. Understand that this is about deocracy: Of the people, by the people, for the people. Is that too idealistic? I don't know. I think it works.

She makes another really great point earlier in the article that talks about food companies' health claims displayed on food packaging. This marketing is put there to make consumes think they are making a smart choice in the grocery isle. But let's be honest if we were all feeding our children the fruits and vegetables they needed daily we wouldn't have to worry about the "immunity" banner on Cocoa Krispies cereal and the list of added antioxidants. Now would we?

Oh wow. Now there is just so much to think about. Education, that's what it's really about.