Salad Days

"The farmer has to be an optimist or he wouldn't still be a farmer." -Will Rogers

It's winter. It's February. We need an escape. Let's do a little mental exercise: Close your eyes. Picture a landscape. What do you see? If you are living anywhere in the Midwest or East coast your brain probably goes right to snow. After all, we are buried in it right now. Maybe this will work... close your eyes again. Picture a perfect meal. What do you see? O.K., that probably didn't work either. My mind went straight to hot dish.

How about we talk about a subject near and dear to my heart that is sure to take you straight into summer: CSAs. No, I'm not discussing some acronym drummed up in some cooperate war room. I'm talking about Community Supported Agriculture. If you haven't heard of this, it's due time. After all, it's the hottest thing around since the farmer's market took hold in every town from here to Ogden, Utah. CSAs are deliveries brought straight to you directly from a local farm. Some farmers will designate a central drop-off spot. If you are lucky, you can find a farmer that will deliver right to your door (this, of course, comes with a steeper price attached.)

In my case, I'm lucky. For the last four years I have had deliveries from a local organic farm brought right to my door with a cut rate to boot. How did I achieve such miracles, you ask. I gathered a group of neighbors and the farmer gave us a deal because the boxes are all delivered to one address- mine. It's a great arrangement for all of us, especially me. Not only do I get my weekly dose of farm fresh carrots, lettuce, arugula, spinach, potatoes, tomatoes and on and on... but I also get the welcome visits of all my friends.

The vegetables and visits are just a couple of the perks. The biggest pay-off of all are the results I've seen with my kids. The farm box delivery is a highlight of each week for them. They are mesmerized by each vegetable as I pull them out of the box, and can hardly wait to get their little hands and mouths around them. Believe me, if this CSA thing can get my kids excited about brussels sprouts (which it has,) it can make your kids believers too.

Costs vary from region to region, but price comparisons often show that the same amount of organic produce bought from outlets as pricey as Whole Foods cost significantly more. When you buy into a CSA, you are purchasing a portion of a farm's harvest. Generally, you pre-pay early in the year and then are free to enjoy the salad days (in my area this lasts from June-October.) Some farms have bonus features. This year, my farm has added free-range eggs as well as offering to deliver beef and chicken from his farmer friend near by.

If you live near me- check out the link to my farm. If you like what you see, join the party!

Here is the link:
www.burningriverfarm.com

If not, but you'd like to find a CSA in your area, check out this link:
www.localharvest.org/csa