Eating Local

Back in Ohio, Victoria and I took advantage of living in a rural/agricultural area by joining a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). For those of you unfamiliar with CSAs, basically you purchase a “share” of a farmer’s crop for the upcoming season, then once the season begins you receive a weekly delivery of fresh veggies (and sometimes other treats like honey and flour) each week. It’s pretty awesome.

One of our first orders of business when we arrived in the Twin Cities was to find a CSA to join. We found a flyer in the local coffee shop last year when we were looking for a place to live and signed up for a share in time for that season. We were so delighted with the quality and quantity of the produce we received, we were quick to renew this year. Each week, all summer long (from June to October or so) we make our way to a neighbor’s backyard to pick up our spoils for the week.

Each week we get something a little different, but it’s always incredibly fresh and delicious. While we usually ride our bikes to the pick-up location and load up our bike bags, this past week I decided to walk and take Fenway along for company. After opening our box, I filled up my bags, careful to put the heaviest items (two acorn squashes, potatoes and onions) on the bottom.

That night, much to our surprise and delight, one of our neighbors brought us eggs from the chickens that live a few houses down. They were a beautiful blue/green and tasted as good as they looked!

I don’t know that I’d necessarily consider myself a “locavore” but I do like to eat local (especially produce) when possible. It’s fresher, it tastes better (it really does) and I like that we are supporting a local farmer. And if you’ve never had a fresh egg, you are missing out. There REALLY is a difference. If you don’t believe me, head out to your local farmer’s market, pick up a few items and taste the difference for yourself.