It's berry season. Last week my girlfriend and I picked fresh salmon berries (indigenous to the Pacific Northwest)(size and shape of a raspberry, named for their colour, not taste)(though they come in a variety of shades, none of which I'd describe as "salmon") and she made them into a crumble. This week she made one from fresh strawberries my parents picked at a local farm. Unbelievably delicious. And red all the way through! Here's her recipe.

Organic, Fresh Local Strawberry Crumble:

4 cups of sliced local strawberries

1.5 teaspoon of cinnamon (or to taste, I like more, some like less)

2 table spoon of granulated cane sugar

1 1/4 cups of oats (quick cooking organic)

1 1/4 cups of whole wheat flour

3/4 cup of brown sugar, packed

3/4 cup cold butter (I like organic unsalted for this recipe,)

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

Pre heat oven to 375.

Roughly slice strawberries, put a bowl with cane sugar and one teaspoon of the cinnamon, stir.

Mix oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon in a mixing bowl.

Cut in butter until mixture is blended. Using your hands is the best way to do this.

Keep 1 1/2 cup of the mixture for the top. Press the rest in the bottom of a lightly buttered 9' square baking pan.

Spoon in strawberry mixture (if it's really juicy, you can add a sprinkle of unbleached white flour to thicken). Add the remaining crumble to the top.

Bake for 30-40 minutes.  Share, and enjoy.

*Nice served warm with coconut or vanilla ice cream*

As Br. Trevor has written, having a hand in the production of your food - growing it, hunting it, picking it, gathering it - connects you with what you're eating in a beneficial way. You know where it comes from. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently announced he's only going to eat meat he's killed himself. He said: 

This year, my personal challenge is around being thankful for the food I have to eat. I think many people forget that a living being has to die for you to eat meat, so my goal revolves around not letting myself forget that and being thankful for what I have. This year I've basically become a vegetarian since the only meat I'm eating is from animals I've killed myself. So far, this has been a good experience. I'm eating a lot healthier foods and I've learned a lot about sustainable farming and raising of animals.

I started thinking about this last year when I had a pig roast at my house. A bunch of people told me that even though they loved eating pork, they really didn't want to think about the fact that the pig used to be alive. That just seemed irresponsible to me. I don't have an issue with anything people choose to eat, but I do think they should take responsibility and be thankful for what they eat rather than trying to ignore where it came from.

I like this. Come into a closer relationship with where your food comes from. You're putting it into your body.