For 30 days (mostly) I have photographed local food items. We had lots of laughs creating the photos and loved the emails and comments, but what I really received out of it is so much more.

When Our Big Earth started the 30 days of Eating Local Challenge I was excited, I thought it was such a fantastic way to highlight some of our hard working, very notable food producers. I didn't realize though, that as a family, it would be so meaningful to us.

John and I decided that we would do our best for the month to eat local, something we do pretty often anyhow. As a local business myself, it is a given that we welcomed the support from Our Big Earth in increasing the amount of money we spend locally as compared to on imported products.

What struck us however, quickly after we jumped on the challege, was how it feels to eat local.

We eat well in our house, I am the cook (mostly, unless it is eggs, see previous posts for the goods on eggs and our family) and feeding my family well is in my genes. The feeling of serving them freshly prepared food gives me great satisfaction and like many, is one of the ways I show my love (and it gets me out of doing the dreaded dishes.)

Having food to work with, such as chicken, bison, sausages, local veggies and more, all that was prepared locally with love, just adds to it. More love people.

We do talk to the children about appreciating their food and what we have found is if they connect to their food source, they FEEL the appreciation.

A chicken from TeeDeeKay versus a can of soup. They feel different.

Meanwhile John and I are both reading the Omnivors Dilemma, which is a facinating look at large food production and as a result of some interesting dinner table converations the kids are becoming more aware of the health benefits of eating local.

Thank you Our Big Earth, what a meaninful project you have taken on .

No photo today as I am sitting in a lovely hotel room in Ucluelet. Guess what? We had to turn the heat on - crazy isn't it!  Comox folks, can you believe I am wearing a sweater and I am only 3 hours away.

When I first moved to the valley I fell in love with so many things about it, but it took me a few years to tap into all the local yummy goodness that is produced here and then I found out about Natural Pastures Cheese and I was seduced. 

One of Selah's first food loves was the Natural Pastures Cheese Curds. Every Saturday we would truck of to the market to get them and they would barely last through the day.  

We have recently developed a new crush on them.

The 30 day eating local food challenge wraps up tomorrow, which means the 30 day of photographing local food does as well.

If you have been getting the stamps for the challenge be sure to drop your booklet off at Brambles so you can be entered to win the $1000 dinner (and just so you know, I make a great dinner date.)

I don't think that anyone would disagree that sessions with ice-cream seem about right this week.

As part of a series I am doing in conjunction with one of my favorite places, Benino Gelato, I am doing a series of portraits with people enjoying ice-cream.

Here the Nasarella family joined in the fun.  Showing up with ice-cream is a surefire way to win the children over right off the bat.

Thanks family, I loved the session and loved our bonding session afterwards!

When the computer hit the wall yesterday it seemed like a good time for John, Christine and I to throw some eggs around.

Since I entered into the land of not being able to eat anything (no sugar, wheat or dairy,) eggs and I have become really familiar.  My recent embrace of eggs is making John pretty happy. Seriously, he thinks they are the perfect food. Breakfast-dinner is his specialty and whenever someone is fighitng sickness off in our family he thinks that they need eggs. The amount of eggs we go through in this family is kind of ludicist.

I hope it is okay to share one of his quirks publicly - they do say you like people for who they are and love them for thier quirks.

Until recently I was never a fan of eggs, they kind of grossed me out actually - especially if I had to cook them and especially if I didn't know where they came from.

However, Comox Valley Eggs (which you can pick up so easily, DeeTeeKay are my fave) and I will now live happily ever after.

Can you help me out and let me know your favorite.

I like to think I can do it all. However, with today's heat it just ins't an option. Thankfully I have a few food photos banked, because a combo of the heat + four hours of errands has left my creativity tapped.

This comes courtesy of 13 year old Mikhayla and I love it.

I have a later wedding today so we hit the farmers market. One of our first stops there is always the pepper lady.

Then of course we played with them.

What a long, glorious day. Errands, kid time, work time and some alone time (it was kind of supposed to be date night, but I asked John if for date night I could be home in the house alone - ah, the romance.)

Feelin' really good about this week.

So, Day 19 was not a chip (thanks for all the chip related emails.) My mom commented the following:"I think this is the Henry Mountain Range in Southern Utah in the early morning under less-than-spectacular-light-conditions in the very early morning. But it could possibly be a partly eaten local stale donut photographed by someone with a really creative eye."

Yay mom, what I liked about it was that it did look like a badly taken photograph of a mountain range.

But it really was this:

A little Tannadice Farm Bacon - definitely a new fave around here.

Do you know what I am?

What a glorious Sunday, oh wait, it's Monday. Well Sunday is my Saturday, so that makes Monday my Sunday.

With a friend who is visiting from out of town I headed downtown to show her the new studio and cruise around 5th Street. We popped into a 30 day of eating local event at Zen Zero and I grabbed a local smoothie made from Ashberry Farm Strawberries, Watrin Apple Juice, Eatmore Spinach and local Mint. It is my new favorite smoothie (hint hint zen zero, please make this a regular offering.)

Then it was off to the lake and now, some make-believing it is Sunday night chill time. 

I handed the camera over to Mikhayla, who is thirteen for today's shoot and she, along with the assistance of her sister Gabrielle, blew me away.

Some local peas, which are one of our favorite summer snacks.