Farming and all things earthy are on my mind right now. Partly because it's that time of year, the height of the growing and farmers market season and secondly I've just spent two weeks traveling through the Heartland of America. The back roads across the center of our country tell a story unique to who we are and how our culture is shaped. I made a few observances along the way, some still reminding us of days long ago and others so new it's worrisome where we are headed:

• There are still drive-in movie theaters and kids pile in the back of trucks to see the show.
• Olympians, Olympic coaches, American Idols, Baseball Hall of Famers and ex-Presidents come from little towns all across the country and Olympic Stadiums are still impressive long after the games.
• There really ARE villages, towns, cities and townships with no internet, Wi-Fi, cell connections or computers.
• There are only 2 seasons back east – Winter and Road Construction.
• Ohio is big on bowling alleys and trampolines for entertainment.
• Trucks are definitely the ride of choice in the middle states.
• The Amish still uses horses in their fields and drivers if they want to go someplace.
• Laundry on the line still colors the breeze.
• Baseball, Rock and Roll, Football, and Motorcycle Halls of Fames are worth seeing, in that order.
• Places like Brenda, Arizona and Hinton, Ontario Canada are real.
• Teenagers still go to the creek on hot summer days and rope swings still exist.
• In Illinois, McDonalds are 20 miles apart and I didn't see a sign for Farmers Markets or Natural Foods Store for two days.

• There are SO many trucks on our highways – buy local!
• Iowa is the flattest with corn and soybean fields as far as you can see melting into the horizon.
• Corn does get knee-high by the fourth of July and this sign said it all: "Welcome to Remington, Indiana – where Agriculture and Industry meet"
• GMO corn is alive and well and everywhere. Corn as far as the eye can see and very little of it, truly real. Scary, I know, but true. We've all read about it, but to see it in person is overwhelming. The magnitude of this single crop and what it means to our way of life as Americans is simply mind-boggling.

With all this travel lately I've had plenty of opportunity to fine tune my raw food tool chest with some new ideas for staying healthy and raw on the road. On Wed July 21st I'll once again offer my Raw on the Road class at Whole Foods Napa. Come join us for some quick tasty ideas for staying healthy while cruising around town, across the country or around the world.

Please visit our website for the latest Potluck information.

King Corn is a a marvelously funny, well done feature documentary about two friends, one acre of corn, and the subsidized crop that drives our fast-food nation. Two friends from college, move to the heartland of America to learn where their food comes from. With the help of friendly neighbors, genetically modified seeds, and powerful herbicides, they plant and grow a bumper crop of America's most productive, most-subsidized grain on one acre of Iowa soil. But when they try to follow their pile of corn into the food system, what they find raises troubling questions about how we eat—and how we farm.

I encourage you to see King Corn, rent it (or borrow it from me), and buy it to share with family and friends. You’ll enjoy the journey and learn something along the way.

We're getting into prime season for peaches, berries and so many other marvelous morsels headed to your table. I know it can be a shoppers dilemma trying to stay organic when non-organic varieties are sometime less expensive. Don't leave home without the Dirty Dozen list from The Environmental Working Group (ewg.org).

This hardworking non-profit research based organization is leading the way in terms of complex controversial everyday issues involving your right to know and the health of you and your family. Again, this year they've published their Dirty Dozen list featuring the top 12 produce items you should NEVER buy non-organic. (these items have the most amount of pesticides applied in non-organic farming techniques)

Also listed are the 12 you could consider buying non-organic (the top 12 with the least amount of pesticides) to save a few pennies on your next visit. Here's a download link for their handy pocket size guide -- perfect to take to the supermarket or farmers market with you.

While you're on their site check out their 4th annual Guide to Safe Sunscreens. EWG reviewed over 1,400 sunscreens, sunblocks, lip balms and moisturizers and the guide tells you all you need to know to find a safe and effective product.

Here's their list of Organic Commandments (in order of importance) just in case you're headed to the store right now:

ALWAYS BUY ORGANIC: peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, imported grapes, spinach, lettuce and potatoes.

OK TO BUY NON-ORGANIC: onions, avocados, frozen sweet corn, pineapples, mangoes, asparagus, frozen peas, kiwi, bananas, cabbage, broccoli and papayas. Consumers can safely opt for conventionally grown when it comes to those items, according to the EWG.

Next time you want munchies for a game or backyard gathering, I have posted my long-awaited Kale Chips recipe.

The second annual Raw Health Expo in Sonoma County will be in Sebastopol this year. There'll be speakers galore and demos scheduled for July 31 – Aug 1 at the community center. The Farmers Market is just down the street from the Expo site so take your shopping bag and make a day of it. There are early-bird discount tickets available and lots more information at their website.

There's some talk that Lydia, of Lydia's Organics, is re-opening her café in Fairfax. No details yet but it's supposed to be in July. Details here when I get them. Yeah !!