Some Good News

YES. I got into my CSA of choice this year, Honey Brook Organic Farm!

If you want a consistent supply of local, organic produce, the only real way to guarantee it (besides growing your own) is to join a local, organic CSA.  Last year, I tried to get away with growing my own produce (fun and tasty but didn't yield enough) and shopping Farmer's Markets.  I was sorely disappointed in the markets' produce.  None of it was organic (at the markets here in NJ, anyway) and it wasn't very good.  So, I sucked it up and went for a CSA again this year (I did one two years ago, see below).

Read more about CSAs and find one near you here.  

If you haven't signed up yet, consider trying a CSA this season. CSA= Community Supported Agriculture, and basically, you pay a lump sum (or a few payments) to a farm (or co-op of several farms) who then provide you with a box of produce every week, usually for about five to six months (May through November for most).  You pick up the box at a pick-up location that is most convenient to you (depending on the farm you are using) on a designated day and time each week.   You can put in your zip code under the map in the right hand column of the link above, and it will find CSAs, Farmer's Markets, Grocery/Co-ops, etc.  It's awesome!

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For those of you in the Philadelphia/South Jersey area, here are some awesome CSAs you may want to consider.  I'm sure there are still "shares" left at most of them.  Just call or email the farm to check in.

1. Honey Brook Organic Farm (my CSA this year) located in Pennington, NJ and Chesterfield, NJ.  Here is a link to the CSA application for this year.  Call or email them at service@honeybrookorganicfarm.com to see if they have any shares left at your desired pick-up location.  A huge perk for Honey Brook is that only CSA members can visit the farm and get Pick-Your-Own privileges.  PYO is EVERY WEEK in addition to the boxed share.  I'M SO EXCITED. Strawberries, look out! I'm a comin' to murder ya' and then torture ya' in my new VitaMix. OH YES.

2. Greensgrow, the urban farm located in Philadelphia, PA. Greensgrow also has pick-ups in Camden, NJ for my NJ peeps.  They have options for a protein (cheese, eggs, tofu, local seitan (yes!) and also sometimes has bread and local beer in the box!  I bet it's sweet. They also have an option for half-shares and you can shop at the farm itself for anything without joining the CSA.   Here is the link to Greensgrow.

3. Suburban Organics is a delivery service that sources 100% certified organic produce and delivers it to your door.  If you are too lazy or too busy to pick-up a box of veggies every week, why not have it delivered? Suburban Organics will do that for you.  No commitment to a whole season of boxes is necessary.  You can just order one box to check it out if you want.  It's expensive, but probably appropriately so for hand-delivered, locally sourced, organic produce.  They deliver to PA, NJ and DE.  You can check out what you might get in a box and the prices here.

4. And, lastly, Lancaster Farm.  This is a farmer's co-op that provides a CSA and is based in Lancaster, PA. I used this CSA two years ago, but the pick up locations are not convenient for me now.  It was very good, though, you get a big box, the season was long, and it was tasty! It's also Certified Organic.  About 80 farms participate in the program.

If you don't want to or can't do a CSA for whatever reason, check out your local Farmer's Markets.  Find one here or ask your friends to recommend one.  

I'm so psyched for this season to start! Local, organic strawberries, here I come!!