With food costs on the rise and the national economic situation what it is today, many people are wringing their hands when it comes time to cutting costs.  Now is the perfect time to turn to the local community to become more self-sufficient.  This means saying "no" to the big fast food corporations and processed food and "yes" to buying meat, vegetables and fruit from local farmers.  Slow Food in the Tetons is a non-profit organization that promotes sustainable agriculture, the traditional family mealtimes, school gardens and utilizing heritage foods (such as elk, potatoes, carrots, huckleberries and mushrooms in the Tetons).  By supporting local farmers, we keep them in business which, in turn, keeps the economy alive.  And by helping the farmers, we help our families thrive by bringing back the family mealtime, which has become such a rarity nowadays.  In the past, mealtime was a place where everyone talked about what happened at school, work or throughout the day and discussions about what was important to the family were commonplace occurrences.  By slowing down our fast food lifestyle in Teton Valley, we can all benefit greatly; financially, spiritually and healthily.