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Showing posts with label CSA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CSA. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

5 Reasons To Invest In Your Local CSA

Today is Tuesday and in our house Tuesday's are an important and fun day! Each Tuesday we get all ready and head out to pick up our local CSA. What is a CSA you ask? CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. This means that our family actually "owns" a part of a local farm and gets the produce from that farm each week.

Each week we get a box full of this (or variation of this).




Not to mention that we also can attend local harvest events. This is how we got our sweet corn that we recently froze.




Looks amazing right? Oh believe me, it is! So today, I wanted to share with you 5 reasons why you should invest in your local CSA.

1. It forces you to eat your veggies! I'm a bit ashamed to admit this, but if it weren't for the CSA each week, I would not be eating nearly as many vegetables. I love fruits, but will readily admit that it is a bit harder for me to eat veggies. This has really helped me as I paid for it, and I am not one to let my food go to waste. Another plus is that my girls have fallen in love all over again with vegetables. Seeing mom and dad eat them daily makes them want to eat them daily. Win win!

2. It forces you to try different veggies you otherwise would not have eaten. This one is for my husband. He is pretty picky. Yet again, he put his hard earned money toward it and he will not let it go to waste. Thus, we have both tried many vegetables that we normally would not have (kohlrabi, beets, radishes) and we have found that we actually like some (although my husband still hates beets). ;)

3. You are supporting a local farm instead of a nationwide grocer. Since my husband owns two businesses and we value the support of people doing their business locally, I know how important it is to do the same for others.

4. You are getting fresh organic produce and you know exactly what has been used on it! Pretty sure this one explains itself. Buying a share of a CSA guarantees that you will have fresh, organic (if you are buying from a farm that is organic like we are) produce. So often at a grocery store you don't know what kind of chemicals have been used on your produce, or if that broccoli has been sitting out for days. Buying a CSA provides you with the assurance that you can ask any questions to your local farmer about the chemicals (or lack thereof) used on the vegetables.

5. No room for a big garden-no problem! If you are like me and have limited space and time to do a big garden, consider a CSA well worth your investment! You will have a plentiful supply of fresh vegetables all spring and summer long (and even into fall) and if you take advantage of any harvest events your local farm has, you can freeze or can and have produce all winter long as well!




Overall, I have been incredibly impressed each week with our share and I will be very sad to see winter come this year as I am going to miss the variety each week. I'll definitely be looking forward to spring for more reasons than one come next year!


Do you invest in a local CSA? Or do you do your own garden?

Monday, August 8, 2011

Freezing Sweet Corn {A How To}

On Saturday, I posted to my Facebook page that I was freezing 20 dozen sweet corn. Yep, you read that right 20 dozen! 240 ears of corn! Yikes, I guess writing that down does make me realize that is a lot! Anyway, many of you had asked how I did it. So I thought I would share in a blog post the process. Unfortunately, I didn't think to grab my camera for the day, so all I have are phone pictures.

First things first, we picked the corn. We dropped the kids off at my parent's, grabbed three of my younger siblings and headed out to a local farm in which we own part of a CSA (community supported agriculture). Love our CSA and I have a blog post coming on that later!

It was lightly raining when we picked and we had to not only pick 20 dozen for us, but also 20 dozen for my family. I thought it would take forever, but was pleasantly surprised to find it went quickly and we were done in about 40 minutes. We left the field muddy, but determined to enjoy our day freezing.

About halfway through shucking the corn.

When we got back to my parents, we got to work right away shucking the corn (just ours, not my parent's). The pile of corn literally filled a whole table! But with all my siblings helping, and even Zoelle at one point, this work went quickly!

A tub full of corn anyone?


Next, we cut the corn off the cob. I wasn't thinking ahead on this part. It took awhile! We only had one electric knife and so I got that while Chris got just a plain knife. If anyone has any quick methods for cutting corn off the cob, send them my way!

Doesn't he look just thrilled?!? :)


Once it was all cut off, we moved to the actual blanching part. My recipe is adapted (just a bit) from one of my dad's relatives. My parents have used this one in the past, and it turns out great!

9 cups of corn
1 cup of water
1 Tablespoon of sugar
1 Teaspoon of salt

Bring ingredients to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Set pan into cold ice water. Do not drain. Fill bags and freeze!

Blanching the corn.


We had two pans going at all times so that way I could get more done at once. I also doubled the recipe so it could go a bit faster.

Cooling down in ice water.


All in all, it took us about 6 hours from start to finish and we got 39 bags of sweet corn that we will definitely be enjoying in the dead of winter to remind us of the sweet days of summer!

Corn all ready for winter enjoyment!


So there you have it! Thank you to my parents and siblings for their help with the corn and with my kids. Couldn't have done it without you! :)