Our Local Food Journey

Our Local Food Journey

My husband, Jason, and I joined a CSA (community supported agriculture) about a year ago. We joined for a number of reasons - organic produce, less transit time from farm to table, reducing our carbon footprint, supporting local business... just to name a few. Being paranoid in nature, I also wanted to secure a local source for food. Our world has been changing so much recently from massive global expansion to seeming to snap back on itself and collapse. OK, so that's a little reactionary, but realizing that I couldn't grow so much as a head of lettuce had me a little worried.

A large part of using a CSA as a primary food source includes eating mainly what we are sent from the farm. Our CSA allows members to pick and choose from what they have available or to order a pre-packed box of seasonal veggies. We usually get the pre-packed box and work around the contents. It has been challenging to try to eat only what is in season as we both are used to having what we want when want it (even though out of season tomatoes bear little resemblance to the seasonal ones). We have not yet gone to acquiring 100% of our food from the CSA, but we are steadily reducing the amount of things we buy from supermarkets. We also try to buy local organic produce when shopping at the huge farmer's market in our area, Your Dekalb Farmer's Market. As yet, we don't have a great source for bacon (a necessity!).

The most challenging thing about eating seasonally and locally has been finding different ways to make the same things. Receiving weekly supplies of sweet potatoes, roots like radishes and turnips, and many tomatoes has been great, but finding ways to inventively use these things is a little daunting. This blog will chronicle our journey through our weekly CSA orders and our attempts to create delicious meals. I'll also be trying to find the most economical ways to eat well since, like most folks these days, our budget is frequently on our minds. I will also be attempting to make some of the things we can not get from the farm like bread and granola bars.


*In the interest of full disclosure - I help our CSA with deliveries twice a week and in return get credit with which to purchase food. I am not being paid by or receiving credit from the CSA to write this blog or to plug their products. I will be honest in discussing the food we receive from them, but this blog's primary purpose is to share recipes and tips, not to provide reviews of products or services.