I recently had the pleasure of eating at The Harvest, a restaurant that is also a member of the Slow Food Movement. Located on the Capitol Square in Madison, WI, Harvest is, as their website notes “passionately devoted to bringing Madison a unique dining experience, and a menu enhanced by seasonal locally-grown, and organic ingredients.”  The restaurant was celebrating Summer Restaurant Week and my meal consisted of a grilled squid salad (with serano chili, arugula, and lemon vinaigrette), roast breast of chicken (with italian bread salad of heirloom tomatos, cucumbers, red onion, and red wine vinaigrette), and vanilla panna cotta with Door County sour cherries.  It makes my mouth water just to write it down and I can tell you the food was incredible!  This dining experience was definitely unique and I can’t expect all my meals to taste like that.  However, by making the effort as much as possible to eat food (at home or in a restaurant) that is healthy, local, fresh and seasonal, we can enjoy really wonderful meals.

The Slow Food Movement, in case you don’t already know, was founded in 1989 to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world.  You can become a part of the movement (officially or not) just by making small, but important choices throughout your week.  Buy food from your local farmers’ markets or become a part of a food co-op.  Look for organic products at your local grocery store.  Go to the websites I’ve listed below.  There you will find listings of your local restaurants that support “slow food.”  Support them and your health by eating there on a regular basis.  There are also listings of local producers and products in your area that you can look for.  These can be fun activities that you do with your family and friends.

In Columbia… http://slowfoodkatytrail.blogspot.com/

In St. Louis…http://www.slowfoodstl.org/

In Kansas City…http://www.slowfoodkc.org/

To learn more about the Slow Food Movement, in general, go to the international website at http://www.slowfood.com/.

Enjoy!