SPG Blog

Buying local organic produce is the best recommendation I can make for the summer months as a culinary coach. Our family subscribes to a local farm and has fresh-picked produce delivered to our door every Tuesday. We became fans of community supported agriculture (sometimes referred to as ‘CSA’) years ago and we feel good about buying a “share” in each year’s crop. We take some risk along with the farmer, eliminate the middle man, and get to eat the best tasting fresh vegetables and fruit imaginable.  This is one of the ways that we “measure up” in our family meals for the summer.

Coach recommendation:  find a CSA farm in your area and start buying locally.

More about CSAs?  Here’s a definition from the USDA website:
“Community Supported Agriculture consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes, either legally or spiritually, the community’s farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production. Typically, members or “share-holders” of the farm or garden pledge in advance to cover the anticipated costs of the farm operation and farmer’s salary. In return, they receive shares in the farm’s bounty throughout the growing season, as well as satisfaction gained from reconnecting to the land and participating directly in food production. Members also share in the risks of farming, including poor harvests due to unfavorable weather or pests. By direct sales to community members, who have provided the farmer with working capital in advance, growers receive better prices for their crops, gain some financial security, and are relieved of much of the burden of marketing.”
To find a CSA near you, try google or visit these links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_community-supported_agriculture_farms_and_organizations
http://www.biodynamics.com/canada.html

YUM!