When Bob Byrnes and his wife, Nanka Castulik, bid farewell for the season Saturday at the Tower Grove Farmers Market, they'll follow a predictable pattern.

They'll order grilled cheese sandwiches from The Big Cheese food truck. They'll stop at Traveling Tea for a steaming-hot spot of tea, served by the owner and Castulik's sister, Kateri Meyer. Then they'll find a seat to eat their sandwiches, listen to live music, people-watch, and enjoy the rhythm of the market tucked into a city park just blocks from their home.

"It's our Saturday morning event," Castulik said. "We've gotten to know the farmers, the vendors. We've watched their babies grow. By spending our money locally, we contribute to their success. We value these farmers."

"Buying local is what we do," Byrnes added. "I've been influenced by Nanka. As our relationship matured, we made it a priority to spend our money in the community. We use smaller, local contractors for work whenever possible."

Local Harvest Grocery is another regular stop. "Ninety percent of what we consume comes from businesses in our community and from sources within a hundred miles of St. Louis," Castulik said. "A lot of our budget goes for good food, but when you eat really fresh food, everything tastes better. We don't eat as much, and we're satisfied."

Each valued living green and buying local before they married. Byrnes lived sustainably on a farm. Castulik taught herself to reduce energy consumption, to reuse and recycle and to support companies that produce environmentally friendly products. Together, they've shaped a life guided by their values.

They met working together in information technology at Anheuser-Busch. "After we retired in 2002, we met for lunch with other retirees," Castulik said. "Strictly professional." Over time, the professional turned personal. They married in 2007.

They donate their time to nonprofit organizations serving women and children whose lives were disrupted by domestic violence.

"Nanka volunteered at Safe Connections on the overnight crisis line and as a board member. These small groups need a Web presence today. We help them plan for technology," Byrnes said.

At home, he does most of the cooking. "The focus of our meals is vegetables. We use meat as flavoring," Castulik said. "We're lazy cooks, so we approach things in a least-work manner. For breakfast, we like scramblers — farm eggs with greens, a little meat, vegetables. We'll buy wonderful cooked Cuban black beans from Del Carmen at the farmers' market to add to soups or as a side dish. Stir-fry meals, salads with a little meat mixed in; we're easy."

Castulik made and froze tomato sauce over the summer to use as a base for hearty winter soups. "Even at winter farmers markets, we find fresh greens grown in hoop houses from Our Garden and Ivan Stoilov," she said. "The meats we buy, the roasts from Jeremy Parker at Missouri Grass Fed Beef, sausages and dry-cured bacon from the Matousheks at Farmers' Larder, have such great flavor. We'll look in the fridge and throw together sauces, then do that slow braise, the lazy way."