I am VERY excited to share some info about CSA’s (Community Supported Agriculture)!! I’ve always tried to get into the habit of buying fresh produce at the local farmer’s markets, but my schedule gets so busy on Saturdays that I never seemed to make it out. So…this year, I’ve bought a half share in a CSA called Fat Blossom. This means that I will get a variety of fresh veggies for 20 weeks (June-October) and will pick up at a location in the South Loop on Wednesdays. The cost of their 1/2 share is $300 so it comes out to about $15 per week. I’m excited to have my husband try out some new receipes with the weekly selection (yes, he does the cooking in our house!). By purchasing this 1/2 share we are supporting a local organic farmer, eating well all Summer long, AND reducing the carbon footprint all at the same time! It’s a win/win/win!
If you want to see if there’s a CSA out there that fits for you, check out this helpful chart on the Local Beet website. You can join CSA’s that provide veggies, eggs, honey, beef, chicken, etc…Some CSA’s require that you pick up at their farm, others have drop off points, and some will even deliver to your home for an extra charge. The challenge for me was finding a CSA with a convenient Chicago pick-up that fit with my schedule.
If you have joined a CSA before and want to share your experience, please comment below! I will try to do an update everyonce in a while to let you know how my first “CSA experience” is going!
I’ve been doing a CSA for a few years now and I love it. I get to support a local farmer whose name I know and I’ve even visited the farm. The produce that we get is so fresh that it lasts longer – but there is a lot of it. The good thing about CSA that also makes it a bit difficult is that you get what is in season. Today I have an abundance of beets in my fridge. At other times it’s been greens. It forces me to be creative and definitely mandates that we eat in as opposed to going out. And the societal benefits are huge…
Thanks Tammy! I’m glad to know that you’ve been participating in a CSA for a few years…I’m sure you’ve got some good ideas now about how to use the tons of beets in your fridge! My husband is definitely the creative one in the kitchen, so I’m hoping that the random veggies that we are about to get every week will push his cooking skills to the test! I visited your blog- it’s great! You get so much participation! Do you ever post a reciepe or two?
Thanks again for visiting/commenting!
Megan
It’s great that you’re raising awareness for CSA and local farmers in general. I really enjoy attending the Green City Farmers Market. The outdoor market opens on May 12th. Something to keep an eye on is that that the USDA currently proposed new regulations that will essentially make it impossible for small sustainable meat producers to continue to sell directly to local restaurants. These are local family farms that will be forced to either close shop, or sell their product to the big boys. You can read more at http://www.salon.com/food/feature/2010/04/26/usda_testing_end_local_meat
Michael, thanks for the great article- I just shared it on Twitter! Reading that makes me frustrated…but I don’t have any idea on how a “commoner” like me can do anything. Any ideas on how to make our voices heard to the government regarding this issue?
Thanks for visiting the blog- come back again and share any time. By the way, great photos on your website! It makes me hungry looking at the great photos of food!
Megan