Farm Fresh

I am so excited for Spring and I’m starting it off right. I have just joined a CSA, “Community Supported Agriculture” and have officially become a “locavore” as Harry Leblanc at Beausol Gardens would say. For $300, I will receive a share of his crops every week from the beginning of May to the end of September (give or take depending on the season and weather conditions). The list of his local crops includes some of my favorites and kitchen staples including basil, garlic, cantaloupe, strawberries, onions and broccoli. The CSA even encourages you to be adventurous and introduces new foods to your kitchen (or at least mine) such as pac choi, daikon radishes, turnips and parsnips.

Beausol Gardens also grows a number of flowers and for $160 you can receive weekly fresh flowers. My fiancé got me the fresh flowers share as an early Easter present. Isn’t that sweet or maybe just a good way to stay out of “trouble”? Either way, I am ecstatic and think that fresh flowers will help brighten my home and the sprits of all around.

Leblanc sends out weekly e-mail updates about his farm and the crops. I just got my first e-mail today and was shocked to see the level of detail that was included. I was excited and enthusiastic to learn about the baby veggies, soil, natural pest deterrents and their honey bees. In addition, Leblanc invites people to come out and visit the farm without feeling like a disturbance.

I absolutely love shopping my local farmers market and I’m excited to add CSA as another way that I help to support local farmers. It’s a breath of fresh air to have a clear understanding of where my food is coming from. Shopping locally establishes a sense of community and pride. I encourage everyone to help support their local farmers. Look up your CSA at http://www.localharvest.org/ or make a trip to your local farmers market. As Leblanc says, the local food movement “seeks to restore direct contact between farmers and consumers, putting a human face on agriculture and trust in the food supply.”