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Health & Fitness

Eating Locally - My First CSA Subscription

Sign up for a local CSA.  It’s like Christmas every week.

Seriously though, when else do you get so many presents – edible, delicious, and healthy presents – that you don’t even know what to do with them all?!  And they’re a surprise!  How often in your adult life are you actually surprised?  If you’re one of those freakishly controlling people that hate surprises, Cory, the manager at my farm, does send an email with the contents of the box.  But they’re are generally still surprises and you don’t have to read it.

Now that I’ve explained my nerdy infatuation with the box, I will detail the basic concept and how it all works.  CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture.  Simply put, it is a way for the you, the consumer, to interact with and receive produce (and sometimes other goodies) from your local farmer on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.  In exchange, you provide the farmer with a reliable source of income at the start of and throughout the growing season.  In my opinion, this is a very responsible interaction as it enables planning on the farmer’s part, eliminates waste, and motivates you to be conscientious and appreciative of what you put in your mouth.  You are part of the story.

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I did a lot of research before committing to Burge Organic Farm.  It is a long-term and rather expensive endeavor.  Not that you can put a price tag on your health, that is…  I found that not only do the contents vary from produce-only boxes to boxes with farm eggs, cheeses, and even Bella Cucina’s specialty products, but they vary by season, frequency, cost, and pickup locations, as well.  These are obviously all important factors in deciding which CSA is right for you.  I haphazardly happened upon Burge via a tweet from Whole Foods (what an easy pickup spot!) after getting no response from the two farms to whom I had originally inquired.  Obviously, those farms will remain anonymous and I completely understand that outside work does not lend well to good email skills.  Burge, however, has proved outstanding in both quality and communication.  I very much appreciate hearing their story at the start of each week, learning what is coming in and out of season, and getting new recipes!

Being a chef, my goal in joining a CSA was not only to ensure my husband and I are consuming enough produce, but also to challenge myself to be aware of and learn to cook with new and local produce.  I have already received at least three vegetables that I have never (and most likely would have never) used or seen otherwise.  Thus far, it has been a fun challenge.  I will be posting my new recipe creations throughout the course of my subscription and addressing other key takeaways that we all hear about such as eating local.  Fall signup is right around the corner.  Support them as they toil in the scorching Georgia sun and struggle against the endless rain.

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