For a long time I have been concerned with where my food comes from, how it is prepared, what I am actually putting in my body.
In the summer I got most of my produce from the local farmers market. I bought free range eggs and chicken.
I had heard about a CSA, but I figured that I wouldn't be able to find one in Murray. I also didn't exactly know how it would workout with the amount of traveling I tend to do, and the fact that I am single.
CSA stands for community supported agriculture. The basic premise is that local produce from local farmers is a win win. The local farmers get financial help, and the produce isn't transported halfway around the world. Buying local produce decreases a person's carbon footprint, it also decreases the chemicals the produce is subjected to in transit. Another aspect of the win win situation is that I am getting my produce from a local farmer, so I go out to the farm, I build a relationship with them, I can see for myself that it's actually organic.
The reality is that the majority of produce at the grocery store that is sold as organic, isn't truly. If you want to know more about why that is, I can point you to several sources.
The way a CSA works is that typically the consumer pays the farmer before the season a lump sum for the specific period of time. The farmer then provides produce in season for that time period. You are basically buying a portion or share of the crop. If the crop fails, then you as the share holder, don't get produce.
While I was out in California visiting my brother, I went with his girlfriend to pick up their weekly produce allotment. I got to see first hand what it was like, how much food they got, etc...
When I came home, I was determined to figure out how to participate in Western Kentucky. I got on the internet, and low and behold, right here in my county there is an organic farm that has a CSA.
I was so excited, I called and I joined. It ended up costing me $20 a week, and I didn't buy hardly any other produce. My farmers also have meat and assorted other things (maple syrup, sorgum molasses) that I can buy when I go to pick up my veggies, it's all grass fed, no hormones, and it's cheaper than the normal meat (the stuff with the hormones and what not) at the grocery store. OH and did I say it tastes WAY BETTER!!!?
Because the produce is in season, what I got last summer changed from week to week. And yes for 1 person it was a lot of produce. I was forced to try things I never would have tried otherwise, and I learned to cook things I had never cooked before. And I am still eating food from last summer, as I pull out soups, and frozen meals from the things I got in my half bushel. I talked my coworker into it last summer and over and over we would both say "Did you try the tomatoes yet? They are unbelievable" or something of that nature.
Basically to me it's like having a garden, without actually having a garden. It was so worth it. And my farmers, as I like to call them, are hilarious. I love talking to them about the goings on at the farm. It's amazing to actually hear about what goes on during the week as they tend to my food, and they are really really funny people.
Recently I got an email saying it's time to sign up for this coming summer, I am so pumped. This summer I am splitting a basket with a coworker.
Here are some pictures of some of my baskets this past summer
This is a mid summer basket, the green beans were amazing, the eggplant was amazing. I actually just pulled some out last night for egg plant parm. There are herbs in there, I hung most of mine up to dry and am still cooking with them. And the blackberries, OH MY THEY ARE AMAZING.
This is the bottom of that same basket, turnips, green beans, eggplant, cucumbers.
Sometimes I gave things away (like the cucumbers) and the weeks that I was out of town, I gave my basket to a friend, or I had a coworker, who also participated, pick it up for me.
So many people told me they were interested in doing it this summer, I can't remember who I told I would remind. So if you are interested, comment on this post and I will get you the info.
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