We are what we eat.

Winter still holds a tight grip on the land. The sunny days are beautiful and deceptive. It is cold out there. We are hoping for a slow warming in order to avoid the excessive runoff from the snow that is banked high all around town. Each day it melts a little then freezes overnight. The sidewalks and roadways become ice sheets that need constant attention.

This is a time of year for hearty robust meals, soups and stews.

We are what we eat. Soups and stews made with lentils, bens, potatoes, carrots, cabbages, and peas, for example, not only warm us with their savoury richness but nourish us as well.

Eating is one of our most intimate experiences, yet far too many urban dwellers have an arm's length relationship with the food that they put in their mouths.

All too often the food we consume is produced miles away from where we live and we only see the end results, neatly packaged, polished and piled on supermarket shelves.

From Field to Table was originally created to provide a weekly look at how food is produced and how it travels from the point of production to your dining room table. In others how does our food travel from the field where it is grown to you table where you consume it.

For people who are interested in growing their own food, each week we explore various ways this food journey is undertaken and its numerous variations, from indoor container gardening to community gardens and community shared agriculture. City Farmer's Urban Agriculture Notes, is an excellent place to begin your quest to grow some of your own food.

Let's return to my opening statement, we are what we eat. Think about that the next time you bite into a double cheeseburger and fries while sitting in your car. Simply put, food is a means of transporting necessary vitamins and minerals from the soil into our bodies. Some foods are much better at this than others.

Studies have shown that what we eat can have a noticeable affect on our mood as our food choices dictate which vitamins and minerals we receive. This means, that it is possible that if we are feeling blue, then what we may need to do is change our diet and add more vitamin B6 and B12 to our diet.

This brings us to two controversial issues which I will explore in greater detail in future articles. One is that our soil so depleted, due to the farming methods of agribusiness, as to not be able to meet our dietary needs? Two, can a vegetarian diet meet our dietary needs?

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