Through consistent and deliberate year-round work, farmers provide us with the makings of our holiday traditions. They grow the flowers that adorn our tables, the wreaths on our doors, and the Christmas trees that are a centerpiece for many families.

Bill Zimmerman, a small farmer in Vancouver, Washington talks about the approaching urban growth boundary (UGB) that may soon encompass his farm.

Farmers markets across the globe have long served as heart-centers for communities, a place where neighbors shop, interact, share recipes and tap into seasonality and taste of place.

Even with a surge of interest in "local food" and its central relationship to individual, community and global health, somehow it remains difficult for many of us to make the connection between the food we eat and the land that is required to grow it.

Have an apple. Have two. Because this week, we get not one but two holiday opportunities to make the world a better place.