Yay produce!
I've always really liked the idea of a weekly supply of fresh organic local produce, but I have come to terms with the fact that I'm never going to have the garden that creates that for me. I really enjoyed growing tomatoes last year, but I just don't have enough direct sunlight to grow all the veggies I want in my back yard. So I think the next best thing for me is joining a CSA (community supported agriculture) group. Thanks to a conversation with msteleute, I finally remembered to check out the local CSA programs while they were still taking applications for the season. I just signed up with Calvert Farm because they had a pickup location very close to my house and a lower per share cost than most of the other places. I know that might translate into less produce, but I figure as a first timer, it's probably good to get a little less until I know I'll definitely be using the swiss chard or the kale or the other stuff that I don't normally pick up at the grocery store when I shop.
I'm excited to be using my consumer dollars to support local farms with sustainable practices and it seems like a really easy way to practice what I value. In a way, it's sometimes harder at the supermarket when I have to make the decision between the less expensive and often prettier conventionally grown vegetables and the pricier organic ones that I know are the better choice for me. Sometimes I take the organic ones, but sometimes I let my budget concerns get the better of me. So I like the idea of making that decision in advance for half of the year. I'm also hoping since it's local and doesn't need to be picked to be bullet proof for shipping, this will also give me the tastiness of the backyard garden. I'll be really interested to see how it works out for us, and if we fully use the produce we get each week. The closest thing we've done so far is getting the 1/4 of a cow for the year, but since that's all frozen, we don't really have a hard and fast timetable for using it.
It's nearing the end of the open enrollment period - but if you're looking for a CSA you might try this link: http://www.localharvest.org/csa/ If you're local to the DC area - the Washington Post recently put out a list: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/30/AR2007013000808.html.
I'm excited to be using my consumer dollars to support local farms with sustainable practices and it seems like a really easy way to practice what I value. In a way, it's sometimes harder at the supermarket when I have to make the decision between the less expensive and often prettier conventionally grown vegetables and the pricier organic ones that I know are the better choice for me. Sometimes I take the organic ones, but sometimes I let my budget concerns get the better of me. So I like the idea of making that decision in advance for half of the year. I'm also hoping since it's local and doesn't need to be picked to be bullet proof for shipping, this will also give me the tastiness of the backyard garden. I'll be really interested to see how it works out for us, and if we fully use the produce we get each week. The closest thing we've done so far is getting the 1/4 of a cow for the year, but since that's all frozen, we don't really have a hard and fast timetable for using it.
It's nearing the end of the open enrollment period - but if you're looking for a CSA you might try this link: http://www.localharvest.org/csa/ If you're local to the DC area - the Washington Post recently put out a list: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/30/AR2007013000808.html.