Operation Oxygen Mask (OOM) Week 11: Harvest #1

Eat Locally and Seasonally by Jedrick Lamb

Huddle Question: Share your favorite New Mexico fruit or vegetable, and a memory associated with that food if you wish.

BUILD IN: Visit a farmers’ market, farm stand or grocery store and choose fruits and vegetables to support you and your family’s health. For a list of places to purchase New Mexico grown fruits and vegetables near you, and to find recipes from NM farmers please visit https://farmersmarketsnm.org/find-a-market/

Eating fresh, seasonal, local fruits and vegetables helps boost the immune system and provides critical vitamins and minerals. Local fruits and vegetables contain more nutrients since they do not spend excessive time in transportation and storage. Small farms generally also have healthier soil practices. The smell of roasting chile is in the air and it is a great time of year to enjoy green chile, apples, squash, broccoli, carrots, pears and plums. Preparing and sharing seasonal foods with family feeds your body and your spirit.

“The shared meal elevates eating from a mechanical process of fueling the body to a ritual of family and community, from the mere animal biology to an act of culture.” -Michael Pollan

Thanks to everyone who responded to the survey. I’m hoping that La Familia can incorporate some of your ideas in the weeks and months to come – stay tuned! In the meantime, one of the ways we can make this more effective is by making it a social community project. Talk to your colleagues about what you’re doing to take care of yourself and your family, ask them if they’ve tried out anything new or if there’s anything they need help with, eat lunch outside (six feet away) from a work friend, or take a walk around the park together before or after work. For the weekly prompts, I’m going to try including a “huddle question” for you to bring up in your morning huddle whether that’s on the pod, or in an admin meeting. Let me know how it goes!