Finally Joined the Co-op!

On January 1, we finally bit the bullet and joined our local organic "Farmstore in the City" Urban Acres. We signed up for a full share (= 35 pounds) of organic produce and veggies for pick up once every two weeks. The cost is $50 per pickup, which means each pound of food is about $1.43. I'm not used to paying that much for most fruits or vegetables, but everything is organic, and we're trying to head in that direction. Another big plus for us is that, especially during warmer months, they try to have 75-90% of the produce come from Texas.

We picked up our first share on Saturday (below), and needless to say I was pretty excited. I have been given some of their produce by a friend over the past few months and I've been very impressed by the shelf life of everything. The thing that sticks out in my mind the most is that we got a bunch of cilantro that ended up lasting just over 2 weeks, whereas it usually only lasts two days when purchased from the regular grocery store. And by lasting I don't mean barely hanging on, I mean still fresh & beautiful after two weeks. Amazing! That alone made me a convert. We just weren't able financially to sign up until now. However, we've committed to giving this a go and I don't think I'm going to be disappointed.

Our share this week includes (in a pseudo-clockwise fashion starting from the top left):

• red leaf lettuce
• kale
• arugula
• bananas
• turnips
• red beets & greens
• oranges
• Pink Lady & Gala apples
• onions
• carrots
• broccoli (Tons of it! That pile is almost 1 foot tall!)
  
• sweet potatoes
• red new potatoes
• grapefruit
• slicing tomatoes
• grape tomatoes

We've already eaten some of the fruit and I made large salads for Jason & me on Saturday. Sunday was an awesome potato/broccoli/onion/cheddar soup. Will post that recipe soon. Have any of you ever joined a co-op/CSA? Any pros &/or cons we should be aware of? Thanks! -Carrie

And the Gleaning Continues...

According to wikipedia.com, gleaning is "the act of collecting leftover crops from farmers' fields after they have been commercially harvested or on fields where it is not economically profitable to harvest." We continue the tradition right here in the suburbs of Dallas, TX, though on a much smaller scale, by gathering foods we come across (with the owners permission, of course). These are fruits or vegetables that would otherwise be left to rot on the ground or just dumped into the trash. We can't stomach either of these options, so we choose to put ourselves out there and relish what comes our way. Here's two perfect, recent examples:

Deja vu, right?!? Here is yet another load full of pumpkins resulting from my pumpkin recycling efforts. I could not be happier with the response. In fact, I've received so many pumpkins that were otherwise destined for the landfill that it is seemingly impossible that I'm going to be able to process them all in a timely fashion. I've recently even had to turn some down because I've run out of space. If you're in the North Oak Cliff area, seriously drop me a line and I'd be happy to pass a few on.

Jason was recently doing work on a customer's property when he noticed a large pomegranate tree covered with fruit. Many had already fallen and were spoiling on the ground. However, he was able to glean an entire grocery store bag's worth. (Unfortunately the only thing he could find in his car to carry them all - we need to remedy that ASAP! I hate those bags!)

Since bringing them home and cracking open a few, it appears that the freezing temp or two we've had have ruined a few of them, but the majority seem fine. The customer got a small discount on the job and Jason brought home enough pomegranates to make some jelly. It's a win-win! Do you have a memorable gleaning story you'd like to share? -Carrie

5 Reasons to Use Local Farms

Hey all,

Sorry I haven't posted recently. I've been busier than a one legged man in a.... well you get the point. I want to share with you something that is near and dear to my heart. Eating local.

The average plate of food in this country travels over 1500 miles before it gets to you. That's right... 1500 miles. That's ridiculous! Of course, this food doesn't get up and move on it's own. We use copious amounts of fossil fuels in this world to provide logistics which are right at our own backdoor. I once heard that one of our major cities uses one third of its energy consumption just to move water around the city! HERE is an article from CNN of all places on 5 reasons to use local farms. Enjoy! -Jason