It's not secret that I love fresh produce. And, since reading In Defense of Food, I find myself gravitating more towards organic, locally grown produce. That's why I signed up for my local CSA.
"What is a CSA?" you ask. A brilliant idea, for one. CSA stands for community shared agriculture. Essentially, you pay a local farmer at the beginning of a growing season to pay for the growing costs. Then, each week throughout the season, the farmer provides you with a box of freshly picked, locally produced vegetables and fruits. You don't usually choose what you get, but that's part of the fun, really. It teaches you to cook new dishes.
I signed up for the smallest share available which is still way too much for me. My current CSA shares are just vegetables, so I supplement with fruits from the farmer's market, another place to get fresh, local produce.
Not only does local, organic produce taste better, but it supports the agricultural culture of your area. The more we support these local farmers, the less dependent we'll be on industrially produced supercrops, which lack the nutritional quality and ecological integrity of local foods.
Oh, and did I mention how delicious they are? :)
