Like a huge majority of people in our country, our family is very much disconnected from where our food is actually grown. We shop at the super market and buy what looks good or what is on sale that week. Recently though, we have taken a much greater interest in eating real food and figuring out where our food comes from.
Fortunately for us, we are right on the edge of suburbia with farm life within a short drive from home. We also have a beautiful historic town square with an ever-growing Farmer's Market twice a week. My goal this year is to buy as much as I can from growers I can actually talk to on Tuesday and Saturday mornings.
This new interest in food has also spurred an interest in farming itself for our entire family. This week we took a trip to Greenmeadow's Farm in southern Wisconsin (they have more than one location as well). The weather was gorgeous, the kids pet ducklings, held kittens, rode ponies, held chickens, tons more, and generally wore themselves out!
Have you considered a CSA membership? TO be honest, we were still eating a lot of packaged food when i heard about the CSA concept. There was a young couple with a CSA just three miles away, so we joined. That was four years ago, and it was the best move we ever made! It has really, really changed the way we look at food, especially in the summer! I'd never give up my membership now. The young couple (who had been renting the land) bought a farm many miles away, so we have joined a farm about 8 miles away now, and the abundance is utterly astounding. Value and nutrition-wise, it is fantastic. It does take more thought and planning, but once you get going, it isn't any more difficult. Our kids consider it "our" farm, and love to visit every week and help the farmers set up the produce, etc. Something to consider on your journey...
ReplyDeleteI have been going back and forth about joining a CSA for years. This would be the first year that my personal convictions about food would make it a sure thing. But I didn't jump on it early enough. Thankfully, we have a fantastic farmer's market filled with local growers. I figure that way I can support a variety of growers all season. But I will try to remember next Spring to look into a CSA again. I hear they are wonderful about giving recipes for the lesser known items you receive. What a great way to experience new foods!
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