Fresh, Seasonal, Local Produce

From the TGK Mailbag, Lisa comments that she would like more information about the CSA that I've mentioned

So here's the deal, we try to eat as much fresh, local seasonal produce as we can. In order to make that happen, there are a few choices.

1. Grow it yourself - which, to some extent, we do by planting a tomato garden and other asst. vegetables (to varying degrees of success) Because our success depends on a wide variety of factors some fully within our control and others not so much, we also source produce from much more expert sources.
2. Farmer's Markets - the Austin area has quite a few choices for weekly farmer's markets. Most have rules about who can sell and what they sell at these markets. It is important to ask questions of the farmers/vendors to understand if they are an actual producer or if they just happen to be selling some corn they picked up from "a guy down South" or such. The various markets happen on a variety of days and times throughout the area and if you're close to a location, then you're lucky. If not, it can take some planning to make sure to fit it into your weekly schedule. 
3. CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) - there is a lot of variance in what this model looks like depending upon the guidelines set up by the particular farmer. Basically, though, it works like this: a farmer offers a certain number of "shares" to the public. Typically,  the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a "membership" or a "subscription") and in return receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce each week (or biweekly) throughout the farming season. The one to which we subscribe, Johnson's Backyard Garden, allows a lot of flexibility re: the length of the term you sign up for and allows you to access an online schedule tool to postpone your share delivery etc. 

By joining a CSA, we have found that the quality of the produce is excellent and lasts so much longer than the stuff we purchase at the grocery store. Additionally, because the box contents depend upon what is being grown at that point in time, it has become sort of a challenge to use things that we've never before eaten (Your very own home version of the show "Chopped") We also particularly love that we're supporting the local economy at a very basic level. We've found that for our family, biweekly pick-ups are perfect. On occasion we'll supplement with a run to the farmer's market to pick up extra items that we'd like to have more of *and* for the past 2 years, I've made a large bulk purchase of canning tomatoes to do just that - put up are own canned tomatoes for use in the "off-season" 

I'd highly recommend you try it out for a few weeks and see if it makes a difference in what your family eats. I am a firm believer that the better you stock your home pantry and fridge, the better you'll eat. Sure, it takes a bit of planning to make sure you actually use all of the vegetables that you receive, but the reward is well worth it. If you do sign up with a CSA and you get something in your share that you have no clue how to use, just remember, I'm always up for a food challenge - send me a message and I'll pull together some ideas for using the item!

Happy Cooking!

sld

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