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In Full Swing

Posted at 10:44 PM on June 8, 2008 by Gina Keenan (2 Comments)

Eating local is getting easier and easier. The angst that occurred in January is leaving, and it is becoming second nature for all of us. Our first delivery from the community supported agriculture (CSA) farm, Dragsmith Farms, located near Barron, Wisconsin, happened last Thursday.

We are splitting our CSA box with a neighbor. You would think as we are trying to eat local, we would have a whole box. But, based on past experience, I knew the produce wealth from a CSA can get overwhelming, especially coupled with our garden. There is always the Farmer's Market to supplement also, I figured.

We got a lot of diversity in our box for so early on. Dragsmith has a greenhouse and supplies local restaurants, so the quality is very good. They also have a year round subscription option, so we got some root vegetables that they still have in storage-potatoes and parsnips. A nice change up. We also got micro-greens, asparagus, chives, and ramps. I have never had ramps (or wild leeks) before this year, but looking back at my food log, we have had them about ever other week since late April. I like them a lot, and have used the interchangeable for onions or garlic. But just a note to those that have access to them and decide to buy them, do not let them get ripe. Yawza-do those things stink as they age. Worse than a rotten onion.

The Eau Claire Farmers Market is gearing up also. It has been open since early May, but the diversity is finally coming on. There are several ad-hoc farmer's markets in Eau Claire, but the one downtown is the permanent one. It is an awesome location, just off the bike path and next to the mighty, Chippewa River. A great market.

Ironically, now that the angst of obtaining a diet of 80% local food has passed, it has been replaced with a different angst...preserving the summer bounty for the coming winter.

Comments (2)

I share your angst about preserving for winter. Being new at this too, I'm worrying that I'll miss something in season. I am lining up help in learning how to can later in the summer. I was at a garage sale this weekend & debated over some old Ball canning jars.

We acquired a freezer this spring & have started freezing some asparagus. With the recent storms we've been without electricity for over 24 hrs. Do I now have to discard what's in the freezer? Yikes!

Julie

Posted by Julie | June 9, 2008 7:09 PM

Julie,

What a bummer about the loss of power! I guess it shows us how even though it is easier to freeze things, that method is vunerable to things like power loss. Makes you think more about having a little diversity in the way you preserve food.

Good luck with the rest of your food preserving, I would love to hear how it goes, and any pointers.

Gina

Posted by Gina | June 10, 2008 5:12 PM