Old McDonald

Hey Wauwatosa!

My name is Gwynne and I have decided to enter some blogs on this site from my personal blog.

So the topic for this post is to discuss something my husband and I recently enrolled in for the first time and are very excited to be a part of…a CSA.  What is a CSA you ask?  It stands for Community Supported Agriculture.  To break it down, you befriend a farm and its farmers.  You buy shares of their crops/produce.  You cook and use their products while supporting their farm DIRECTLY.  If you want more information about CSAs and the local farms that participate in this wonderful system visit:  Urban Ecology Center: CSA Farmers. This is a fantastic site to gain more knowledge, pick a farmer and participate in the sustainable food movement.

Bryan and I decided to go with the farmers at LotFotL Community Farms, visit their site here:  LotFotl Farms.  LotFotL is an acronym for ‘Living Off the Fat of the Land’.

We did our research as well as attended a Local Farmers Open House at the Urban Ecology Center and talked to a number of the area farmers including Tim who is one of their farmers.  But there were several factors that went into picking this particular farm…

1. Pick-Up Sites.  We had to ensure they had a pick-up site relatively close to our home that would be reasonable for us to get to once a week (in our case every other week, as we went with a see-saw share) to pick up our produce.  And make it easy to find since my husband is not very good with directions…
2. Cost.  Even though the money we spent on our share goes directly to the farm and is money well spent, we still wanted to make sure it was in our price range and our budget.  This ISSSSS an investment.  And they offer a payment plan to make it easier on people who may be on a tighter budget, but still want to support local and eat healthier.
3. What it Offers.  We really loved the convenience of their online store.  Sure we enrolled in one of their share packages, but that doesn’t limit us to only receiving produce every other week.  We also have the option to add various a la carte options – grass fed beef, half or whole pig (that is a shit ton of bacon!), honey, farm fresh eggs, organically fed chickens among other things.  And again, the money you spend GOES DIRECTLY TO THE FARM.
4. Share Sizes.  Since this is an investment and our first time participating in this, we want to make sure we make the best out of it as well as try products we may not buy at the supermarket.  We opted for the See Saw Share, more info here.
5. Organic.  I feel that the word organic has somewhat lost its sense of meaning or there are loopholes in which something can be deemed organic.  Although this isn’t a huge factor for picking this it does add a bit of added value.  And they are going through the process (which is extremely expensive) to be organically certified.  I believe they hope to declare that in 2014.

So there you have it.  We are very excited to be a part of this, to support our local farmers and receive some f****** fresh produce to eat and cook with.  We are scheduled to get our first share in May and I hope to be back with some recipes or techniques, suggestions to make your CSA worthwhile.

I do attempt to cook but definitely a work in progress.  Sometimes it’s edible, sometimes a disaster.  But I hope this will be a step in getting me in the kitchen more; to not be self-conscious about my technique, lack of knowledge or skill in the kitchen.  I have lots of fond memories of helping my grandmother in the kitchen and watching my mother cook and I FEEL that I can hone in on those skills to make some pretty rockin’ food.  I intend to take you on that ride – good or bad.  :)

xo – g

P.S.  I am all ears if you have unique ways in utilizing every bit of your CSA!