So far we've tapped into two of the apples (Sooooooooo crisp and juicy), some of the blue cheese (interesting flavor, but delicious!), and the milk. Fresh (less than 2 days from the cow), local, whole, milk. I have to say, as someone who has been drinking skim or 2% most of his life, having a cold, glass of whole milk.......is almost indescribable. I think I'm hooked. No, not think. I am.
Today was our first exposure, our first reaping of local produce from the cleveland based CSA FreshForkMarket. As a family consisting of a graduate student in cellular and molecular physiology, and a post-doc in dermatology (aka survived getting a PhD in Biophysics and is currently still in academia), money, along with time, is not something that is in abundance. However, after tax season, we found ourselves with a decent chunk of money. Thus, we decided to try and both support the local economy (something that cleveland desperately needs) and eat local foods as much as possible. Being at CWRU, we had heard about the undertakings of a recent grad who had started a virtual farmers market to allow NE ohio restaurants easy access to fresh, local produce, meats, etc. Fortunately, FFM has expanded and grown to allow families to share in dining on fresh local produce. Check em out: FreshForkMarket
The basic premise is that every week, you receive a bag chuck full of vegetables, fruits, meats, cheeses, etc, all form local providers, that are doing their best to be "organic." Sometimes the produce comes from farms that have not received an "organic" stamp of approval. But, don't let this fool you. Due to the sometimes exorbitant cost of obtaining "organic" status, small, local farmers and growers are unable to afford this label. Yet, their practices and way of cultivated nature are indeed "organic." So, not only is the produce you get "organic," but it was also all grown locally.
We signed up to get small CSA shares each week. This week, our bag included:
Spinach (16oz)
Radishes (1 bunch...which is a LOT)
Cilantro (1 bunch)
Grass-grazed milk (1/2 gallon of WHOLE, AWESOME, milk)
Free-range brown eggs (dozen)
Grassfed Blue Gouda (8oz)
Italian Sausage, 1lb (4 sausages)
4 sausage buns
1/4 peck of jonagold apples
We'll keep you posted on how far our share went, recipes where we used the produce we received, and other ramblings.
The basic premise is that every week, you receive a bag chuck full of vegetables, fruits, meats, cheeses, etc, all form local providers, that are doing their best to be "organic." Sometimes the produce comes from farms that have not received an "organic" stamp of approval. But, don't let this fool you. Due to the sometimes exorbitant cost of obtaining "organic" status, small, local farmers and growers are unable to afford this label. Yet, their practices and way of cultivated nature are indeed "organic." So, not only is the produce you get "organic," but it was also all grown locally.
We signed up to get small CSA shares each week. This week, our bag included:
Spinach (16oz)
Radishes (1 bunch...which is a LOT)
Cilantro (1 bunch)
Grass-grazed milk (1/2 gallon of WHOLE, AWESOME, milk)
Free-range brown eggs (dozen)
Grassfed Blue Gouda (8oz)
Italian Sausage, 1lb (4 sausages)
4 sausage buns
1/4 peck of jonagold apples
We'll keep you posted on how far our share went, recipes where we used the produce we received, and other ramblings.
