I love fresh healthy food: local or organic produce, humanly raised meats, fresh-caught fish, herbs and spices. Many days I can purchase my upcoming dinner from the waterman who caught it. Locally grown produce is often the freshest. I rarely run across a roadside food stand and neglect to stop. I've learned that the people closest to the food are often the most knowledgeable. In fact, I credit many of my best cooking tips to farmers and fisherman. Get people talking and you'll be surprised at what you learn. Want to know how to cook some mean turnip greens, fry green tomatoes, or grill a blue fish -- just ask the experts. Growing up, our diet was mostly comprised of traditional polish dishes, like, halupki, pierogie, and bleenie. In our tradition, food was to be shared. At family gatherings, everyone ate well and was sent home with left-overs. The food I grew up eating was fresh and flavorful and as I result, I never developed a taste for processed or fast food and detest it to this day. Milk was raw and delivered twice a week from the local dairy. Vegetable came from our back yard or the local farms. There wasn't a winter without fresh venison or a summer without fresh trout. While I have cut back on the fried food and starches over the years, I maintain the family tradition of sharing and eating fresh, natural foods.