Eating Local

From Wikipedia: A CSA consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farming operation where the growers and consumers share the risks and benefits of food production.

We decided to try a new CSA program this year after the one we participated in last year – which is based out of Forest Park, GA – kept giving us mangos, bananas, kiwis and other foods that are so very not native to Georgia. Each item still had the “Ecuador” “Mexico” “Not Georgia” sticker on it, too. It is frustrating to see that there are programs promoting themselves as a local CSA but then not even giving you local produce. It felt more like we were paying them to grocery shop for us.

This year, we’ve joined a new CSA through Jewish Food Alliance. Yesterday, we had our second pick up and I have to say I am much happier. As with most CSAs, each week they'll send out an email to give us an idea of what to expect in our share, recipes and also other news & events.

So far, we’ve gotten lots of lettuce, collards, beets, bok choy, onions, garlic, eggs, grits, snap peas, arugula – probably forgetting the rest but you get the point. And the best part – no stickers, just dirt. We’ve been making lots of salads with homemade dressing and hard boiled eggs which is great since it has been so hot and our AC has decided to not blow cold air (trying to not think about it).

*One of these is not from the CSA - can you tell?

This past weekend, I made arugula bread pudding with turkey and gouda – one of my new favorite recipes. I was able to use the greens and eggs from the CSA – added mushrooms, whole grain bread, milk and cheese. Normally, every morning we have our regular yogurt and homemade granola so this is a nice change. Plus, one batch of the bread pudding makes 10-12 servings! I also cooked the collards with onion, garlic, sliced almonds and some chicken sausage I picked up from Whole Foods. For seasoning, I added some of Bobby’s Cajun seasoning he mixed. I can’t wait to see what else we’ll get later this season – I’m hoping to break out my pressure cooker this summer for some canning!