Simply Local

Happy Hump Day!! This summer, Wednesday has been my favorite day of the week - we are halfway through the week and I get my CSA delivery!! How great is it that we get fresh fruits and veggies halfway through the week - I don't even have to go to the store to get it.. Since I woke up this AM to my awesome delivery - I thought CSA's would be a good topic for today's post (You can see some of my awesome veggies below)..

So I think we should probably start right from the beginning, I am sure some of you haven't heard of CSA's.. CSA stands for Consumer Supported Agriculture.. basically as consumers you/we support the local farmers. There are tons and tons and tons of CSA's in PA and in other states as well. This is a great way to get in season farm fresh produce that is REAL. There are a few things to think about w/ CSA memberships. First, produce is not all that they are (so cool) !! Some CSA's offer meat (beef, poultry, pork), dairy (eggs, milk, yogurt), and a lot of other products that are made on the local farm. Before I go further, I must say - joining a CSA is a difficult plunge to take!!! It took me forever to finally do it, but I will say it is worth it!

Ok, so let's get back down to business. I first found out about CSA's when I started attending local farmer's markets. I would see signs and the farm's at the markets would ask me to join, and I kept thinking I don't really know what a CSA is and I kept confusing it with a Co-Op, which a lot of people do. I had a Co-Op Market very close to me when I attended graduate school, but I found out that a CSA and a Co-Op are very different. I already told you what a CSA is, but a Co-Op is actually a store that supports local food artisans, but you don't have to be a member to go to the Co-Op.. To be part of a CSA you are essentially a member of the farm that you choose.

So now that you know what a CSA is and I told you I am a member you are all going to join one right? :)  I have been trying to get my parents and my in-laws to join since I decided to join and neither of them are making any moves.. I finally got my brother to join, so I guess 1 out of 3 isn't too bad :)

So like I said before, there are a few things to think about before actually becoming a member...

First, Find local CSA's in your area. There is a great resource on the Internet that I use a lot to find not only CSA's but local farmer's markets (we will touch on this later) - www.localharvest.org. This website is awesome b/c it gives you a chance to type in your zip code or city and choose what you are looking for. Once you get a list of the CSA's in your area, you can read about them via the Internet and possibly even visit their farms - this will give you an idea of what one to join.

I actually didn't have to do this b/c I have that awesome resource called Jackie that I told you about in another post - She is amazing b/c when I first started babysitting for her children, she was a member of a local CSA and I got to go and pick up her share once in awhile, I remember being fascinated and so interested in learning more - so of course I would ask her questions ( you all know how good I am at asking questions :).. she told me a lot about it and then just last year she let me know that her and her husband were starting their very own CSA so I already knew I wanted to join, but I talked and talked about joining last year and never actually did until this year.

Once you decide to join, you will have tons of questions...what season will you join for, will you purchase a half or full share... will you get just produce... how much will it cost.. where will you get the food.. how often do you get deliveries.. what will you receive with each delivery..??? I am sure the CSA will provide all of this information via their website, but I will try to help w/ what I know :)

To make a long story short, every CSA is different. Most have all seasons and you can join for any of the seasons at the start of the season or sometimes if you join in the middle you will get a discounted rate....I would recommend starting w/ the summer if you live around me b/c that is such an awesome harvesting season and a lot of fruits and veggies are "in season."

The amount of produce varies as well, but basically a half share usually feeds 2 people and full shares usually feed 4 - this year, my husband and I along with my brother and his girlfriend split a full share and it has been plenty for the 4 of us :)

Since CSA's offer so many different products it is important to decide what you want. Like I said in an earlier post, we are COMBO eaters - we don't eat all vegan or all vegetarian or all raw, we eat a little bit of everything so - we joined for a full-share of produce, a full share of milk (1 gallon a week, split b/t two couples so we get a half gallon a week), and 1 egg share (which is 6 eggs a week). This is all personal preference and little details, but its fun to hear what others do just so you can get an idea of what to expect!

Finally, the deliveries are a huge factor in deciding what CSA to join, because you may have to pick your food up and you want it to be at a convenient location so you can get it every week! Some have pick-up locations and some deliver right to your door - How awesome!! :) I don't think very many deliver right to your door, but the CSA that I am a member of does and it is amazing b/c its SO convenient!! We get deliveries each week of our share products and sometimes we get extras!! They run product specials each week that you can add on to your delivery. For example, last week they were running a special on chicken and ground beef, I purchased the special and they delivered it with my produce that week, but this week I didn't want the special so I didn't get it. This is an awesome feature b/c you may want to get other local products from your farm, but you may not want a share of those products. This allows you full access to all of the farm fresh products - HOW SIMPLE! :)

If you aren't a CSA member and don't think you ever will be, but you want local products - go to a farmer's market! Farmer's markets are SO popular and they have them at all different times and days of the week. There is bound to be one that fits your schedule. A lot of CSA's have stands at local farmers markets - It really is the same thing as being a member, you just have to go get it and you get to choose. Farmer's markets work well for people who don't want to make the commitment to a CSA. In the summer time, if we don't get it w/ our CSA and we don't get it at a farmer's market, we really don't eat it! It helps us to eat real local healthy nutritious food :)

So I am sure this CSA stuff doesn't seem so simple after all does it? BUT it is!!!! All you have to do is find one that you want to join and take the plunge!! The expense is the same as the grocery store and you are getting real food. I mentioned in an earlier post that if it doesn't grow from the ground, you shouldn't eat it. Here is another one of my favorites - If you don't know where it's coming from, you shouldn't eat it! If you get your fruits and veggies from the grocery store and you buy the organic product, you will pay the same amount that you pay from a CSA, the only difference is you actually know its organic !!!!! This is a HUGE PLUS! So, I know a lot of us are on budgets, so I am, but this is not impossible w/ a budget and you can't put a price on your health!!! :) I will be back later this afternoon w/ some fun recipes that I make w/ my CSA share from this week!

If you want more information about CSA's visit the local harvest website and if you want more information about the CSA that I am a member of, you can visit their website. It is called Green Pasture Farms located in Wayne County, PA and they deliver to a lot a NEPA counties! Here is the website..www.greenpasturefarms.com.

Live Well :)