Day 60
03/01/17
An exciting start to a new month – I got my CSA (Crop Share Alliance) pickup of seasonal local goodies today! I signed up to receive shares of vegetables, poultry and eggs (they have other opt-ins too, including baked goods and dairy – check them out!) today. This was week three of the 3-month contracted delivery, and I could not be more happy with the variety, amount and quality/freshness of crops I receive.
I realized that when I shop at the supermarket, I generally buy the same set of fruit and vegetables as always. Although I’m health- and ecology-conscious, I rarely rotate the foods that I eat; as a result I lose the variety and run the risk of developing allergies and sensitivities, while getting inadequate amounts of nutrients. In addition, it’s hard enough to watch for organic and pesticide-free/grass fed/pasture-raised produce/livestock, let alone also pay attention to the locality of these items. Unless you have a year-round farmer’s market next to you, it’s next to impossible to get good quality products grown/raised within an acceptable circumference to you! Crop Share Alliances are the next best thing, where you get a shipment of local goods delivered to your (or an adjacent) neighborhood. You get to support good practices of a local farm, while reaping the benefits – literally the fruits of their labor.
Since I’ve signed up, I already greatly increased the variety of produce in my palate. I’ve already started experimenting with vegetables that I haven’t even heard of before (kohlrabi, anyone?). Here are two of my recent recipes using the crop share goods:
