Spring Planting: CSAs Share the Farm

Fresh, organic, and local produce is the best way to connect with nature, eat well, and act sustainably in the food system. But what if a victory garden is not your style or you live someplace where even container tomatoes feel too complicated? Perhaps a CSA – Community Supported Agriculture – is the answer and now is the time to join. You can find a CSA in your area by going to the Local Harvest website and putting in your zipcode. The movement has is big enough so that most regions sport at least two or three farms and farm-to-table networks have grown so that even urban dwellers have more chances to participate. Most CSAs work on a subscription basis: for an annual fee, you become a member. As soon as the growing season starts, you get a share of the food grown by your local farmer every week. This could be a delivery of a big box of produce, fruits and vegetables picked that very morning, or it could be that you come to the farm each week and select what you need of that week’s harvest. Some farms also provide farm-fresh eggs or meat, always local and often organic and free range. Others offer a co-op like environment where local products from honey to candles to bread and other baked goods are also available for additional purchase. CSAs often contract with other local growers to provide additional items like apples or potatoes that may be too much for the farm to grow, but are available at other local sites.

When you join a CSA, you automatically become a locavore : what’s available is driven by the season, the weather, and the agricultural zone in which you live. For anyone who's not in a year round temperate area like Florida or California, the early spring shares are often full of leafy greens and fresh baby peas followed by local berries, while August often heralds an abundance of squash, tomatoes, and corn. Eating foods in season is sustainable for the land and more healthful for humans. Most farms offer good information and recipes to help you adjust to eating according to the farm seasons. Others offer a chance to contribute to the well being of your community: some CSAs like the Food Bank Farm of Western Massachusetts (pictured here) contribute more than half of their harvest to food pantries and shelters, providing those in need with fresh, organic foods that are usually so difficult for hunger relief organizations to offer. Click here to read a bit more about CSAs and here for more information about Local Harvest. photo credit: Zoe Rubinstein

Got Juice? Exotic Flavors, All-Natural Goodness - Bolthouse Farms Does!

I'm always on the lookout for new organic and natural products, especially while shopping at my regular grocery store.  Last week, I picked up a couple bottles of juice from Bolthouse Farms when I noticed them on sale.

Bolthouse Farms Juices are not organic, but they are all-natural and the taste and variety are rather addictive!  After browsing the product selection online, I'm a bit disappointed with my local selection but I do plan to look for their new yogurt-based dressings the next time I shop.  

I tried out the Mango Lemonade - it's definitely a drink to fall in love with!  The fresh taste of southern lemonade is pleasantly sweetened with the hint of exotic mango flavor.  A Berry Boost Smoothie was my husband's pick.  Made with 5 different berries, apple juice, and bananas, this drink was equally delicious.  I'm also wanting to try the strawberry-banana smoothie and the mocha cappuccino protein drink.

About Bolthouse Farms 

William Bolthouse began Bolthouse Farms in 1915 in Michigan.  By the 1950's, the farm was supplying leading food manufacturers and restaurants with fresh produce for their own products.  Carrots became one of the farms most popular crops and in 1972, the company relocated to sunny California where their high-demand carrots could be grown year round.  

Today, Bolthouse Farms harvests acres of carrots every single day, operating a variety of processing, packaging, and bottling facilities in the Bakersfield, CA area.  An acacia berry farm is also owned and operated by the Bolthouse family, located in Belem, Brazil.  

Environmental Responsibility

While the crops at Bolthouse Farms may not be organically grown, the company values both social and environmental responsibility.  

• All products boast recyclable packaging.
• Solar panels generate the power needed to irrigate fields.
• High speed rail transports products from Bakersfield to Chicago, reducing carbon emissions drastically compared to truck delivery.
• Spray Safe pesticide techniques are used to minimize the harm pest prevention can have on people and foods. 
• Great care is given to the nutritional value of every product, from growing to packaging.

I highly recommend trying a Bolthouse Farms juice when you have the chance!  Let us know your favorite flavors in the comments and take the time to visit the recipes section of the website for some excellent smoothie and carrot dish ideas.

Photos via BolthouseFarms.com

Follow the Food

As promised, in the hopes of staying well informed on green issues, here are some of the food-related websites and blogs I follow on a regular basis.  You won't find too many of the yummy recipe or travel and eat blogs here -- there are plenty of them, that's for sure.  I do tend to read these the way I read novels -- for escapism rather than real cooking -- although I can attest to the good and functional recipes on Gluten-Free Girl,  No Gluten Required, and Chocolate and Zucchini.  The Accidental Hedonist is definitely not organic, but the recipes are so interesting, you can translate them into sustainble gems easily enough,.  I've also got a fascination with Japanese bento lunch boxes (more on that another day...) and always check one or two blog to see what the bento folks are making this week.

But on to the real work of thinking about sustainability, food, and news.  First and foremost, the person whose writing always teaches me something new --- and debunks any food industry myths I might be inclined to believe -- is the incomparable Marion Nestle.  Her work as a nutritionist, food policy analyst, and tireless public advocate combine at her site, Food Politics.

The Sustainable Table is also a great news source, especially for different locales around the US.  I particularly like the main site for shopping information and unique insights that are not time-dependent. Local Harvest provides a great directory of what's happening in specific regions.  The blog at Yale's Sustainable Food Project also is worth checking every so often, as it offers a great combination of research and practice. In the same vein, Slow Food's main site has exciting programs and news. 

With a more hard-edged news focus, Sustainable Food News is aimed at professionals in the organic food service industry, but it's a great place to learn about new trends.  One of the most under-appreciated source of news is our government: the USDA's newsroom is full of interesting summaries of new research, trends in agriculture and food production, and consumer behavior. If you're willing to sort through even more factual data, try ScienceDaily's site.   The Organic Consumer's Association always has good food activism information.  For up-to-date information on sustainable seafood, check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium's site.

Just remember: sometimes the most interesting information comes from sources that don't have beautiful photographs of vegetables and cakes...