Community Supported Agriculture

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a relatively new socio-economic model of food production, sales, and distribution with the goal of increasing both the quality of food as well as the health of the land on which the food is grown while simultaneously reducing some of the potential financial risks for farmers.

As a shareholder, we pay for produce in advance of the growing season, providing the farm with the necessary capital to help cover the anticipated costs of farm operation and the farmer’s salary. In return, we get weekly shares in the farm’s bounty – fresh, local, organic produce! The farm that we became a shareholder in is Grindstone Farm located in Pulaski, NY.

We just purchased a 3 week share from the farm as a sort of test drive. This is part of the Spring Share and then we can decide if we want to do the Full Season Share which is 20 weeks for $565 or the Academic Share which is 8 weeks for $250. Most likely the Full Season Share is out of our price range, although I think we'd save money in the long run if we went with it. Right now with our diet having changed to mostly organic foods we spend between $80-$100 a week on groceries, most of that expense seems to come from produce. It seems wrong that eating healthier is more expensive--maybe that's what's wrong with our country!

We get to pick up our box of produce every Thursday at another shareholder's house, just up the street from us. We are excited to see what will be in our first box and what we can make with it! You don't really know what you're going to get in the box all we know is that we'll get "seasonally available vegetables and a few fruits." The variety and quantities of what's in the box depend largely on Mother Nature. The farm does have a website that let's you put preferences as to what fruits and veggies you like--we have a couple on our "Never Send" list--but really it just depends on what grows. You can also use the website to add extras to your box, such as eggs and meat.

We're really excited about this latest endeavor--I really think it will force us to eat more vegetables and ultimately, eat healthier.

Dinner Out--This is no Cracker Barrell!

Heather took me out to a surprise dinner last night. She didn't even tell me where we were going, just that it was 40 minutes away. We drove to Auburn, a smaller, much more country town then Syracuse, and as we neared the restaurant I correctly guessed that we'd be eating at a farm--what else would prompt us to drive 40 minutes to dinner?

We pulled up to Elderberry Farm Fine Dining and Country Food Store, a beautiful restaurant built on a patch of land in the midst of the 100 acre working farm. The restaurant is an integral part of the farm's business, and was created to showcase the farm's fresh organically grown, seasonal produce. They grow their own veggies, flowers, and herbs, raise their own pigs, and support area NY farms by purchasing their beef and fish. All of their animal products are grass-fed.

"We are proud to promote farms like ours that produce high quality meats by raising their livestock humanely, replacing growth hormones and antibiotics with healthy diets, free access to pasture, and respect for their comfort and well being."

Not only was the idea of eating at an organic, sustainable farm perfect for our new lifestyle, but the food was amazing. Heather had steak, potatoes, and asparagus. The asparagus was some of the best I'd ever tasted--it tasted FRESH, like you could taste the sunshine and good earth in it, and the beef was delicious. It was probably only the second steak I've ever tasted that didn't need any sort of sauce. The meat was so flavorful! I'm sure part of it comes from the talent of the chefs, but you have to attribute it a big portion of it to cows that have been raised with room to grow and natural grass to eat.

I had lobster newberg, a lobster bisque with Maine lobster. Probably the most expensive bowl of soup I've ever eaten, but I'm pretty sure I got to eat the entire lobster in that bowl. Delicious!

To finish off the meal, we split a strawberry rhubarb almond tart--oh so good.

We're excited to have found this hidden gem and you bet we will be coming back. In about a month they will be opening their Country Foods store which will offer an assortment of fresh products from the farm. We can't wait to come back for lunch at the restaurant and a trip to the store! The farmer's market is great, but it will be even more awesome to buy stuff straight from the farm.

In fact, we've heard of a couple of local farms where you can buy their products straight from the owners. We're going to check them out in the near future to see if we can get some great deals on free range, grass fed meat. Since the meat is the most expensive part of our transition, being able to cut out the 'middle man' like the co-op or Wegman's will hopefully make this slightly more affordable.

One last note--I'm roasting a free-range chicken for dinner tonight and steaming some fresh green beans--YUM!