We missed the opening day of my favorite farm market last week, something to which I haven't totally come to terms. I'm planning to make up for it tomorrow, though, and the family has been put on alert that as soon as the last morsel of breakfast passes their lips we are heading out. Because I am being vehement in a way that I usually reserve for, say, contract negotiations or vacation planning, no one is quite sure what to make of my enthusiasm.

The truth of the matter is that I've become enamored with the idea of a 100 Mile Diet. I love the farm market for its retro charm - something that fits in quite well with my general inclination toward old furniture, big band music and dusty used book stores. But I like shopping farm markets because I find that my values are increasingly aligned with its presence in my community, what with my growing interest in relocalization (not just because of oil-related stuff - although that's certainly SUPER IMPORTANT enough to warrant capital letters - but also because I think that close communities are healthier than what we've currently got going). And if one is to not eat anything that one's great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food then a farm market really comes in handy. And "mine" is great - produce, dairy, meat, honey, breads...it's all fab and I am deeply in love enough to go even when the forecast calls for rain, as it does for tomorrow.

I'm careful to temper my enthusiasm, though. I think there's a real danger that beleaguered moms could (fairly) regard farm markets as just another stop they're being asked to make "for the children" in addition to all the other places we (as a society) believe they should be going, and one more stop for which the time needed to accomplish it will further eat (ha!) into the available time for actually preparing the fresh, organic stuff purchased.

Moreover, I'm concerned about the trend toward markets-as-entertainment. My market has musicians serenading, a children's activity tent, pony rides and more. Now, don't get me wrong, this is all fun stuff. The danger is that using these methods to attract families back to farm markets (and I do hope it's families who are being attracted and not just moms) could serve to reinforce the idea that many people have acquired that food should be entertainment delivered upon them and not something in which they should take an active interest for their own health and that of their communities. (For similar reasons, I cringe at in-store child play centers being installed in my local supermarkets. Sure, I love a few quite moments as much as the next woman and, if they come in the canned soup section, so what? But I fear that taking such quiet moments will only remove my kids further from the source of their food, not to mention eliminating them from a very important economic and financial function. We've all heard our older relatives talking about the price of bread back in 1948, for example. If our kids are sequestered in play areas - sponsored by processed food manufacturers, natch - will they have such an economic memory? Or will they more likely grow up lacking the ability to compare the then vs. now of the economy they'll inherit?)

So I'm taking my kids (and husband) tomorrow, in the rain. And we'll together choose bread, eggs, chicken, bison, cream (raw?! yum) and lots of radishes and greens to get us through the coming week. The children will enjoy a slice of cinnamon bread and Brainiac will buy a cup of coffee. We'll all carry a (brought from home) bag and work together to put our purchases away. It'll be a pleasant way to spend an hour or so as a family but, more important, it's an investment in the way I hope our lives will unfold and I cannot wait.