Sometimes I felt like the Quest for the Holy Grail – trying to find fresh, organic food at reasonable prices, avoiding the “Dirty Dozen” (.pdf includes a handy cut-out card) and stocking up on the Clean 15! But…sticker shock always overcame me, and I would give in and buy conventional produce.
My husband and I knew we had to do something to transition into eating foods with less chemicals – especially since we were starting a family. While we had probably grown up eating mostly clean veggies, our baby was going to have slimmer pickin’s, literally! We became more alarmed at the state of our country’s disappearing vegetable heritage when we read Barbara Kingsolver’s memoir Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (a journey through her family’s year of eating entirely local!). It was both a delight and an education to read, and we made a valuable discovery when we learned about Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)! We became inspired to live a little closer to home.
Our search for a local CSA that would fit our budget and location led us to Holcomb Farm CSA in Granby, CT. Not that we needed be more convinced, but Holcomb offered weekly shares of over 200 varieties of fruits/veggies grown organically just 30 minutes from our home! They also shared 10 reasons to buy local produce! So it began… weekly trips all summer and fall up to the farm to fill our sack with veggies, range the Pick-Your Own fields, and be a part of local agriculture.
We initiated our baby into the world of local farms right away with the first crop of Snap Peas – here we are savoring a few of the fresh green pods. Our baby looks ready to EAT these himself!
Now, we’re not total locavores – unlike Kingsolver, I don’t know if I could go without bananas, coffee, or other creature comforts (can one really live without gummy bears??). But, it is a relief to know that though I’ll probably have to wash a bit more sand off my greens since they are picked minutes before I put them in my bag, I won’t worry about whether I got all the chemicals off, because there aren’t any!
You can live a little closer to home too by searching for a CSA near you! Do any of my readers currently participate in a CSA or local living? Share your stories/tips with us! 🙂 Thanks!
It's dinnertime - do you know where your food's been? | A Year with Mom & Dad
Saturday 15th of September 2012
[...] family has grown our own vegetables or picked up produce from our local farmer’s markets or CSA. It’s refreshing to bite into a crisp cucumber or a juicy tomato and know exactly where that [...]
It's dinnertime - do you know where your food's been? | A Year with Mom & Dad
Saturday 15th of September 2012
[...] family has grown our own vegetables or picked up produce from our local farmer’s markets or CSA. It’s refreshing to bite into a crisp cucumber or a juicy tomato and know exactly where that [...]
Jess and the boys
Friday 2nd of July 2010
I always just bought the dirty dozen in organic but then I found a new CSA right down the road from me! We've been doing it for over a month and I absolutely LOVE it! If anything, I have too MUCH produce now! :DAnd there's plenty to feed myself, hubby and Cohen (my 2 year old) and make baby food purees for Eli (my 6 month old)! Crazy! And I don't know how much you pay, but I was amazed to find out that it was only $15 per week for a big 'ol box of fresh, local, organic fruits and veggies!Sweet!
David&BeccaW
Tuesday 29th of June 2010
Hey - With David's corn allergy we often purchase organic products and always look for local items. We have a great little farmers market close by that runs seasonally. We do most of our produce shopping there. Organic shopping is a huge expense but God gave us but one body for this Earth and we think the benefit out weighs the cost. Your blog looks great. ;)