Before my son was born, if we had a vegetable in the house it was rare. If it was fresh, it was even more rare. So when my son was born, I decided we needed to start eating more vegetables. My philosophy is you can't make your kids eat vegetables if you aren't eating them yourself. Rather than go to the vegetable stand and buy the same old vegetables every week, we decided to buy a share in an organic farm. Of course, we took baby steps and split the share with another couple.
How it works: you buy a share in the farm. What that means is you get a box every week with your share of the harvest. The CSA that we belong to drops the boxes at different sites throughout Chicago. There are many convenient places to pick them up at. Or you can usually go to the farm to pick up your box. You generally know what vegetables you'll be getting (based on the season and the farm's predictions). If the farm does well, you have an overflowing box. If there is a drought or blight, you may not get as many vegetables. Even in the "lean years," we've gotten more than enough vegetables.
That first year we struggled to eat all of our veggies. I didn't even know what the kale was. Most of the greens went in the trash. I had never heard of or seen kohlrabi or sunchokes (I still have a problem figuring out these vegetables). But after getting a cookbook to help figure out how to cook some of the veggies, we started eating more and more. By the fourth year we were eating all of our half of the share. So last year (the fifth year) we got a full share and did a pretty good job of eating all the veggies.
The pros of getting a CSA:
1. No need to go to the store for your vegetables. Just pick up your box on Saturday. Saving 15-20 minutes every week not wandering the vegetable stand trying to determine what vegetables to buy is definitely worth it.
2. Get a variety of vegetables that you may not have otherwise tried. As an example, kale and brussel sprouts are now my favorite vegetables. But I would never have bought either of these in the store.
3. You are supporting your local economy.
4. Your vegetables are fresh and seasonal.
5. You can visit the farm to see the vegetables growing. Our CSA has two open houses and our kids can see where their vegetables come from.
6. The cost is about the same, maybe a little more than going to the grocery store. But see #1 above. The time saved definitely makes up the difference.
Our CSA is Angelic Organics (www.angelicorganics.com), which still had some shares available if you are interested.
Showing posts with label local. Show all posts
Showing posts with label local. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Step 1
Step 1 in the words of Special Agent Oso (I love that cute cuddly teddy bear)
Buy vegetables that taste good.
Have you ever had a tomato out of a garden in the middle of the summer? And a tomato from the grocery store in the middle of winter? BIG DIFFERENCE! And that difference is season and travel time. Those grocery store tomatoes in the middle of winter have traveled a very very long time to reach you (unless you live in a warm climate). The tomato has been breed to travel long distances without damage. This need to have tomatoes in the winter has come at a cost...taste. I think the tomato is the most obvious example of my point. But it applies to almost all vegetables (ok, I know a tomato is not a vegetable, but work with me on this).
After you begin to buy your vegetables in season, you'll be able to taste the difference. Go to the farmer's market. Buy the vegetables that are local. On top of getting better taste, you'll also be supporting your local economy.
Oh believe me, there are many times I want asparagus in the fall when I see it in the grocery store (especially when it is on sale). But I need to remind myself that it won't taste like the spring time asparagus. So this time of year, I buy asparagus every time I go to the grocery store. By the time the season has past, I'll have had my fill of asparagus and I'll be ready to move on to the next season - zucchini (zucchini bread, grilled zucchini, zucchini crumble (my husband's favorite dessert)).
One of the easiest ways to get local and eat seasonally is to join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)...check out the next blog entry for information on CSA.
Buy vegetables that taste good.
Have you ever had a tomato out of a garden in the middle of the summer? And a tomato from the grocery store in the middle of winter? BIG DIFFERENCE! And that difference is season and travel time. Those grocery store tomatoes in the middle of winter have traveled a very very long time to reach you (unless you live in a warm climate). The tomato has been breed to travel long distances without damage. This need to have tomatoes in the winter has come at a cost...taste. I think the tomato is the most obvious example of my point. But it applies to almost all vegetables (ok, I know a tomato is not a vegetable, but work with me on this).
After you begin to buy your vegetables in season, you'll be able to taste the difference. Go to the farmer's market. Buy the vegetables that are local. On top of getting better taste, you'll also be supporting your local economy.
Oh believe me, there are many times I want asparagus in the fall when I see it in the grocery store (especially when it is on sale). But I need to remind myself that it won't taste like the spring time asparagus. So this time of year, I buy asparagus every time I go to the grocery store. By the time the season has past, I'll have had my fill of asparagus and I'll be ready to move on to the next season - zucchini (zucchini bread, grilled zucchini, zucchini crumble (my husband's favorite dessert)).
One of the easiest ways to get local and eat seasonally is to join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)...check out the next blog entry for information on CSA.
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