How I WANT to Feed My Family:

Real Food.  

Grown in soil teaming with bacterial and fugal life - Yes I am a firm believer that bacteria and fungus are more often our friends than our enemies.
On my own property or at least in my own town.
Fresh. Colorful. Diverse. Simple.
All (or at least most) of the original nutrient and flavor and texture is still in it.
I know when it was harvested and everyone that has handled it.
Nutrient dense, high brix - our refractometer is one of our favorite toys.
Without hormones, toxins, pesticides, heavy metals soaked in due to the acidic environment.
Grass/pasture raised animals, raw milk, natural yeast bread, cultured foods.

Jonathan took me on a walk the other morning as asked me what my dreams are.  I dream of the fully developed, beautifully designed property.  The kind where breakfast consists of fresh eggs, and berries that you pick on your way to gather them.
The kind of farming and gardening that we are learning about now is sooooo different from the typical models we grew up with.  It is far more exciting than even the raised beds, and bio-intense planting and high-brix methods we have experimented with.

It is smart farming - actually brilliant.  You design everything to follow the patterns in nature, yet work to man's advantage.  You use animals to work for you - do the tilling and fertilizing and pest control.  You plant diverse food forests that are self-sustaining year after year.  You build earthworks so that the water harvested on your property automatically waters your garden.

The best part is that hard work now, pays back continually in the future.

Jonathan and I have been delving into books and courses on permaculture for the past year and in two weeks we are going to a conference to learn more, and connect with others who are succesfully using these principles.

If you are into self-reliance, gardening, or want to be awed at the abundant potential of the earth God gave us watch the free movies from Geoff Lawton.  Jonathan and I ended up taking his full coarse and feel we were led to a classic that has blessed our lives.