Groovy. Local. Food.

During the past few years I’ve tried hard to improve my diet — choosing fresh fruits and vegetables over processed foods.

That led me first to the produce and organic sections of grocery stores, to reading hundreds of food labels and eventually to local farmers markets, where my questions continued about growing seasons, organic farming and the wide variety of produce grown in the Mid-Atlantic states.

In late summer 2009 I began working for Matt and Mary Harsh who have a farm in Frederick, Md. and are vendors at several Virginia farmers markets, including the Reston market, where I work every Saturday during the season. During my journey I’ve gained a new appreciation for the work of farmers while discovering just how amazing food can taste.

Trying new food also sent me into the kitchen with new recipes and techniques in hand — that’s when cooking shifted from a chore to a joy.

I want to use theses pages to share my adventures as an amateur cook, the colors, sounds and personalities as a worker bee at the local farmers market and my experience as a micro-farmer, experimenting with my own deck garden.

So I hope you’ll come along for my winding journey where I’ll explore the best of my own backyard — measured in produce, people and food.