1 Mar
16 Feb
With the newest Martha Stewart Living magazine showing up sporting an amazingly beautiful cover I have spun into an uncontrollable urge to enjoy Spring!
I can’t wait until this ice and snow melts away and I can go outside, breath fresh air, feel the sunlight on my skin, and start the garden!
We have planted our own vegetable garden here for the past five years. I have learned a bit each year, but still do not consider myself an expert on any of it in the least. (Warning before you ask me questions that I may not have the answer to, but feel free to ask and I can try to answer them.) Each year I have tried something different with variety, placement, vertical growing, raised beds and this year will be trying out some fencing after all of my lettuce and broccoli were attacked last year by furry critters.
We, also, usually go to the farmer’s market here in town quite a bit. They have more than we grow in the garden for vegetables and carry all of the items that we don’t grow, such as fruits, baked goods from the Amish (yum), flowers, and crafts.
This year I was asking around about a woman who handed me a flier last year at the market stating that she has delivery from her farm straight to your house. I still haven’t found her…. so if you are local and know who it is…. I would still love to know.
The information I did get was about something called a CSA. A CSA is Community Shared Agriculture in which you can buy shares before each growing season and then local consumers get bags of freshly harvested food each week. Depending on how the farm does you would get different items and amounts each week each year.
Instead of going to the supermarket to get your produce that has traveled 1500 miles you are able to save money (minus transportation costs of the food) and eat fresh local produce while supporting local farms!!!
Our local CSA in Jefferson County NY can be found here at www.watertownmondaymarket.com and has 12 different farms under the farm tab that you can check out.
It runs from July 11, 2011 until October 3rd. You pick up your shares on Mondays between 3-6 at the Cornell Cooperative Extension on North Hamilton Street in Watertown. Each share is $195…. which works out to $15 a week for the 13 weeks. You can also buy a half share for $100.
This is what the flyer looks like and shows a list of produce that you could expect to get with buying a share.
Okay.. so I am not sure you will be able to read the list of produce… so here is what is on there in case.
–cucumbers, potatoes, carrots, zucchini, herbs, onions, winter squash, sweet corn, green beans, snap peas, tomatoes, beets, radishes, peppers, greens, broccoli, lettuce, cabbage, eggplant, Burrville cider, surprise items such as flowers, pumpkins, and recipes.
They also have a spot on the order form where you can choose how many dozen of fresh eggs per week you would like for 2.50 a dozen. If you can, preserve, or make pickles they also have a section where you can choose certain items that you would like larger quantities.
AND They have programs where they deliver to local senior citizen housing sites! (They are always looking for support in doing this.)
We have our own garden so we will probably get a half share the first year to see how it goes.
Remember if you do this that many fresh vegetables and fruits can be frozen for use during the winter. Do not let that fresh produce go to waste. Studies have shown that vegetables can actually have more nutritional benefit being frozen because veggies and fruits start losing nutrients as soon as they are picked. Freezing them soon after harvest locks in the nutrients. Bonus.
If you don’t live in Jefferson County NY…. don’t worry. Go here to find a CSA near you.
Lesley's Lovingly Lifted Life 