Are you as jazzed as I am at the thought of a new growing season? As I put my crock of sweet potatoes, onions and hot Italian sausage in the oven my mind is already thinking of a crisp tomato and cucumber salad with soft, creamy feta cheese – my favourite summer salad.

But if you’re like me and you eat local food it’s not just your taste buds that are leading your thoughts. It’s the fact that I haven’t seen my favourite farmers, the Pohorly’s or the McSween’s since last year and I feel like I’m long overdue for a visit. They grow my tomatoes and cucumbers. Well, them and a few dozen other amazing farmers in my region. I can’t wait to hear about their family, of this years’ plantings and how I’ll be alerted to the new heritage vegetables they’re growing this year. My culinary life evolves around them.

Food growing in or near your neighbourhood and the extended family that comes with it creates a very healthy life. Food, naturally grown, attentively ripened and soberly prepared is a cycle that brings us back to basics, feeds our body and nourishes our mind.

Yet today too many people are so disconnected from their source of food, from real food and from local food that the benefits of local food comes as news and they hunger for all there is to know about it. And that brings me to my news…..my fourth cookbook.

It’s called My Local Kitchen, the art of eating well. While my previous cookbooks focused on local food from different perspectives; from farm to table, seasonality and terroir, this one focuses on local food and how it’s the healthiest way to eat.

The truth is, eating locally means you become part of the link to the food you eat. It’s a healthy link and like the food chain is interdependent, so are we all dependent on fresh, whole foods for a healthy body, a healthy family, an enriched lifestyle and even a healthy planet. So it’s not a diet book, it’s just about eating local because it’s good for your health.

Because eating local foods, or eating whole foods as others call it, is what I do naturally, I don’t really understand the deterrents or challenges to why everyone wouldn’t eat this way. It’s something that has always baffled me so it’s time for you to teach me a thing or two about your life.

I’m conducting a survey about the challenges to eating better. If you are someone who is wanting to eat healthier but for some reason can’t seem to make it happen or don’t know how, then you’re a perfect candidate for my questions.

If you are willing to participate by answering a few of my questions, contact me by email and in the subject line write, Healthy Eating Survey. If you’re selected for an interview, there will be a complimentary copy of my latest cookbook, The Ontario Table, the best food from across the province as an appreciation gift. I hope to hear from you soon.