Join a CSA Today

Like every good fable, you too must do some preparing to reap the bounty of the harvest.  Our local farmers will be turning out goodies like asparagus, strawberries, squash, cucumbers and sugar snap peas in just a couple months.  They are working long and hard to prepare their soils, determine the most advantageous ways to rotate their crops, and attempt to time the weather.  All the advance planning we need to do as consumers of local foods is to sign up for an annual CSA, which stands for Community-Supported Agriculture.  The CSA is just that:  agriculture supported by the community.  Consumers pay for a share of the farm's produce, meat, cheese, flowers, or eggs in advance.  This upfront contribution allows farmers to purchase their needed supplies and materials at the beginning of the growing season and lowers their risk of loss.  In return, CSA purchasers receive weekly allotments from the farm.  The community of individuals shares the risks associated with weather and pests, but they also reap the rewards of the usually excellent harvests.  The further reward is a locally based food system that provides organic, whole foods to its constituents.  It is much like having a personal shopper who collects the best of the season at the farmers' market for you.  In reality, it also forces those who may not always choose the best foods to eat the best foods.

There are over 50 farms in the Piedmont region that participate in the CSA program.  For a mostly-complete listing, refer to the Growing Small Farms website published by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension office.  Farms vary in location and delivery policy.  Typical, though, is a weekly portion that is either delivered to your home or to a neighborhood drop-off/pick-up location.  A couple of the favorites that deliver to Durham are Maple Spring Gardens, Bluebird Meadows, Harland's Creek Farm, Fickle Creek Farm, and Castlemaine Farm.  Now is the time to join these groups, though, because come springtime they will be full.  Hop to it!

February: What's in season?

Despite being in the South, February still means winter for North Carolina.  This season has been especially brutal for us, with plunging temperatures much more common than warm, sunny days.  Our local farmers, as well as some of us adventuresome backyard gardeners, continue to have fresh produce, though.  Dark, leafy greens and root vegetables are the most hearty and abundant now.  These include spinach, collards, mesclun mix, arugula, tatsoi, turnips (and their greens), rutabaga, sweet potatoes and carrots.  At first blush these sound like decent staples for your winter vegetable drawer.  However, when you have been eating the same greens and roots for months, one must start thinking more creatively.  

Some of my favorite recipes come from the Epicurious.com website, which is a search engine for the Bon Appetit and Gourmet magazine recipes.  Here are a few ideas from this source for cooking the season's veggies.  

Chicken and Fall Vegetable Pot Pie

Braised-Lamb Shank Shepherd's Pie with Creamed Spinach

Mixed Greens Soup

Turnips and their Greens

Manifesto

Food is a hot subject right now.  Many people are aware of the myriad issues with our nation's centralized food supply, reliance on processed foods, and epidemic of childhood obesity.  Countering these problems are the rise of local farms, and thus, local food, a revisitation of nutrition and healthy eating, and an urgent need to diagnose our food systems as an attempt at counterterrorism.  In between these highly discussed issues are the facts facing our families everyday:  real food takes time to cook; industrial food choices and marketing promises cloud our better judgment; labels are often cryptic to read; fast food is often the only option; and on and on.  Tackling this laundry list of issues is the purpose of this blog.  This Locamom will attempt to help you understand how to sort through the critical issues facing our food and our health; what foods to choose and when; how to prepare these foods to satisfy your whole family; and how you can make these changes permanent so that you too can live more sustainably.  To our health and our future...