Setting off on a vacation? Simply packing for a business trip? Or celebrating a long weekend? Whatever, wherever, try to travel FRUIT-FULL-Y.

Why? Fruit is THE category of foods that is missing in action on the road - when most of your meals are eaten in or taken out from restaurants. (True, an insufficient supply of vegetables is close behind!)

Nutrition from the ground up, that’s the official 2010 National Nutrition Month message. But what’s at the root of this message? More importantly, what seedlings from this message can you plant and grow into real changes in your eating habits in 2010 and beyond?

Our backyard garden is small. Two raised beds each about 8’ X 16’. We’ve got what we grow well down to a few favs: garlic, basil, rosemary, cucumbers, yellow squash and a wide variety of tomato plant, from cherries to beefsteak.

Finally the time has rolled around to again enjoy the fruits, rather vegetables and herbs, of our labor.

Now back home from an extended (and delightful) camping vacation in the great and grand National Parks out west, I'm pleased to note that one can still tank up on those 5+ servings of fruits and vegetables even when food selection is narrowed down to what fits in the cooler and the dry box. As they say, where there's a will, there's a way!

A few discoveries along the trail:

Fresh, crisp and dirt-laden salad greens, crunchy baby bok choy, red radishes with the greens still attached and garden green snow peas…a sampling of items in my bag of goodies delivered by a local Virginia farmer. We’ve begun to enjoy the harvest from a share in community supported agriculture. Our local farmer sends an alert with the items to expect along with recipes and preparation pointers. Each week will be a surprise and will teach us the growing seasons for varied produce. Best yet, we'll relish the tastes of just picked.