Slow Food, the organization that encourages people to eat sitting together at a table, enjoying local food produced with care for the earth and each other. Members from around the globe send farmer delegates to its bi-annual Terra Madre conference.

I joined Slow Food this year after shopping regularly at my local farmer's market. Next year, I'll be purchasing a share from the market which will assure me of fresh produce all week throughout the spring, summer and fall. The whole experience has certainly opened my eyes to the importance of biodiversity, the degradation of fruits and vegetables by the corporate producers and the loss of valuable farming lands to development. I'm eating smarter and better too. (via Local Harvest)

Taking the time to thoughtfully prepare, serve and partake of a meal can be one of life's great pleasures, but in our ever busier lives we are not only forgetting to enjoy our food, we are forgetting *how* to enjoy our food.

The slow food movement isn't just about taking the time to stop and smell (eat?) the roses. It is also a strong base of support for maintaining biodiversity (the Incas had over 240 varieties of potatoes - how many have you seen in your local market?).

The Slow Food Movement has grown to 80K+ members in the past 20 years, and has meetings and events all over the world. For more info on the U.S. branch, visit www.slowfoodusa.org. (via janinemaclachlan)