As many of you may know, from the ages of 12 to 18 and in my summers during college (18 - 22), I grew up on a farm in Oregon.  Most of the food we ate was grown on our land — from the cattle, sheep and pigs, to the apples, walnuts, tomatoes, squash and potatoes.  We also have a family vineyard, which means fresh grapes and award-winning wine.All of this produce helped my sister and me grow up strong and appreciative of hard, honest work and what it meant to plant, cultivate and harvest your own food.Fast-forward about 4 years. A few thousand miles away from home, I am still putting in long days of hard work, but finding it hard to put wellness and good nutrition first.  In the midst of two jobs and about 43 activities, it is a challenge.  As for healthy eating, after being a little obessesed with this during/post-college, I am lucky if I have time to get in a meal a day sometimes.  Lack of time, planning and options.  And, while outlets like Trader Joe’s and the Farmer’s Market are not too far away from where I live in DC, I still miss (1) freshness, (2) local and (3) consistency.In addition to looking forward to fall/winter Bikram yoga classes, I will also be anxiously awaiting the arrival of Ellwood Thompson’s Local Market.  Through JESS3, I have had the honor and privilege of working with them over the course of the last year on everything from their branding to their web presence.  That’s why when they signed the papers to move into the Columbia Heights neighborhood earlier this month, I couldn’t wait to help get the word out.  A huge thanks to DC-area (and beyond!) bloggers Metrocurean, New Columbia Heights, The Green Miles, Columbia Heights News, Prince of Petworth, Pulse and Signal, Washington Canard, The 42, Buttermilk & Molasses and Natural~Specialty Foods Memo who have all let their readers know about the news: Ellwood Thompson’s comes to DC in 2009!Three final notes…1 - Want to know what the store will look like?  Check out this rendering:Ellwood Thompson’s comes to DC2 - Want to hear and see more about what Ellwood is all about?  This video is particularly close to my heart, as it reminds me of why my mom and dad farm (and brought my sister and me up to do the same). Ellwood Thompson’s // Farm from Ellwood Thompson’s on Vimeo.3 - Want to connect with Ellwood online?Ellwood Thompson’s has a blog, Flickr and  Vimeo profiles where you can get to know them visually, and on their Twitter account and Facebook Page, feel free to get in touch with them socially.