Up Close and Personal

“Which kind of cows give us chocolate milk?”

“Is that how you milk people, too?”

“Are these the same cows at Chick-fil-a?”

Take your kids to a working dairy farm and these are the kinds of questions you might hear.

We go to Farmer’s Markets, we buy whole foods, we grow vegetables in our very own garden and still … kids need to see real animals being farmed, real pumpkins being grown, real corn on actual stalks of corn sprouting from the ground, to fully understand where our food comes from.  Milk (chocolate or otherwise) doesn’t come from the milk truck, jack-o-lanterns don’t sprout from cardboard boxes in front of the grocery store, and corn comes prepackaged in nature’s husk, not cellophane.

No matter where you live in this country, you can find ways to see real food up close and personal.  Fall just happens to be the magical season where you can experience food and fun together.  And if you live in Indiana you’ve hit the agritourism jackpot.

Wander a corn maze and talk about how corn grows and the many ways we use it … just try not to get lost.

Pick your own apples and tell the story of Johnny Appleseed.

Find your perfect pumpkin in the sincerest of pumpkin patches.

And gives thanks to the cows for two of the most perfect foods known to man: ice cream and butter.

Happy fall, y’all.  Now get out there and enjoy it.

I’m happy to partner with Indiana Family of Farmers as a Table Talk Contributor.  Many thanks to Indiana Family of Farmers for providing me with some inspirational gifts as well as passes to Kelsay Farms.  Find great recipes and learn more about Indiana’s farming families through the Indiana FOF website, blog, Facebook and Twitter pages.