We love food—you could even say, we live food. We love to grow it, cook it, and especially eat it. My husband, Kevin, and I have been farming at 14 Acre Farm for seven seasons, and have been serving our produce when we cater local weddings and special events.

Food is our business. We feel strongly that the best ingredients make for the best taste, and that the best ingredients are the ones picked fresh by local farmers who know what they're growing. Our catering philosophy can best be summed up as, "Farm-to-table." What does farm-to-table mean? It means that whenever it's possible, we use ingredients that arefrom local farmers like us! Straight from the farm onto your plate.

We start with the most local ingredients of all—the ones we grow. In any given growing season, we plant over two hundred varieties of produce. If we're catering an event that requires ingredients that we don't grow, we buy them from other local farms—most located right here in Carbon County. Of course, there'll always be ingredients that can't be grown here in Pennsylvania no matter how hard we try. In those instances, we look for either U.S. grown, or for producers that follow strict environmental standards.

Fortunately for us, Carbon County is a wonderful place to source local ingredients. Between Spring Mountain Farms and Koch's Turkey Farm in neighboring Schuylkill County, we can get almost any kind of meat we'd wish without having to support the type of industrial farming that has been associated with disease, waste, pollution, and poor living conditions. Thanks to Carbon County's abundant growing season, there are few things that can't be grown here.

That is how we make our food choices, but why do we choose to be local? Buying local benefits the local landscape. It's really been a shame how many farms in neighboring counties have been turned into housing developments, industrial developments and chain stores—all in the name of progress. We are an area that draws tourists, engaged couples, and outdoor enthusiasts—thanks to our beautiful pastoral scenery. By supporting local farms, we help to keep it that way.

Local food is healthier. It doesn't get processed in a large factory where food and bacteria can mingle. Food is our craft. We are picky about what we put out there. Not only can local food be safer, freshly picked local food is also more nutritious. Studies have shown that the longer fruits and vegetables sit on the shelf or in transport, the more vitamins are lost. Think of how many miles California grown spinach traveled to get to Carbon County. Do we really want to serve a jet-lagged salad?

Local food inspires us to get creative and come up with fantastic new dish ideas. With catering, this means some fun, interesting, and delicious sides that can have guests talking for weeks afterward. Why not serve that steak with creamed spinach, sweet pea risotto, pickled radish salad and grilled broccoli raab? We're getting hungry just thinking about it!

Sara Ruch