Now is the time to register for Summer CSAs

Readers have been asking me about recommendations for Summer CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) subscriptions.  Wikipedia has a good entry on CSAs if you are not familiar. The truth is that this year, we will not participate in one.  We think we can grow everything we need in our backyard garden supplemented with trips to the farmers market every once in awhile.

For two years we participated in small CSA. We can't remember the name at the moment, but I'll update later if it comes to us.  The quantity was fine and produce was OK although not everything was grown on the farm.  The closest pickup was really too far away for us.

Last year we were part of a tiny CSA run by our neighbor's sister.  It was fantastic to directly support someone I know.  She is not offering a CSA this year.

If we were signing up again this year, here are the CSAs I would consider:

*Athens Hills CSA from Green Edge Gardens - we are getting the winter veggie CSA and it is bountiful and delicious.  They write on their blog that they will be offering a summer CSA too.

*2silos meat CSA - 2silos will be offering a summer version of the meat CSA this year.  They also have an veggie CSA but it is sold out.  Alex recently reported on the winter meat CSA if you want more info.

*Elizabeth Telling Farm - We don't have personal experience with this CSA, but others in the community like it.  We are always impressed with their produce at the farmers markets.

*Wayward Seed - Again, our only experience with Wayward Seed is through the great vegs we saw at farmers markets.  They also offer a fruit CSA which I am trying to figure out if we want to invest in.

*Sippel Farm - This CSA is sold our for the 2009 CSA season, but it is the most recommended farm by friends.  They are already taking names for the 2010 season!

Are you participating in a CSA this year?  If so, which one?

Did I miss any you would recommend?

Join the Garden Challenge

Do you grow your own food?  How about sharing some with those who can't?  This isn't a new idea, but a group of gardeners is hosting a Garden Challenge this season on The Barnyard. We are still finalizing plans for this upcoming year.  We know what grew well last season and we will add enough plantings to give 10% of the harvest away.

Ours will go to the local settlement house, the Clintonville Beechwold Community Resource Center.  Less than a mile from our house, we already donate canned items and household goods to the CRC regularly.  I know they will appreciate fresh produce too.

Will you join us?

Fight anti-bacterial America with fresh food

Media is abuzz with talk this week about food bacteria.

First, updates about the Peanut Butter samonella outbreak recall foodstuffs nearly hourly.

Then, Jane Brody wrote in the New York Times about how eating a little dirt is actually good for you.  (The article also advocates pet ownership, something near to my heart.)

Cleveland food writer Michael Ruhlman's post connects the dots.  Processed food leads to elimination of good and bad bacteria leads to kids and adults with more allergies, digestive disorders, and diabetes.   He comes to the same conclusion I have - eat fresh whole foods, maybe with a tiny bit of dirt.  You will not be worried about recalls and you just might live a longer happier life!

Meyer Lemon in the House

We have grown a meyer lemon tree indoors (and outside in summer) for 5 years now.  About twice a year it blossoms with tiny white flowers that have a captivating sweet scent.  Usually at least a couple of the flowers turn into baby lemon buds.  Sometime after, they dry up and fall off.  Just 4 times has a bud ripened into an edible lemon. This past fall, one such lemon deigned to grace us.

Lillian declared herself caretaker of the lemon.  She checked the color constantly and protected the lemon from the dog's tails and other nosy kids. Here's a picture of her caressing her citrus.

We told her the lemon could be picked when the skin was completely yellow.  The time finally came last week.

She plucked the lemon from its stem. She took a picture of Alex and I with the lemon.

I washed it and sliced it open.  There were surprisingly almost no seeds.  This picture doesn't show it, but the flesh was a perfect bright yellow with stark white pulp and lots of juice.

We each tried a slice raw.  It was sweeter than a normal lemon, crisp and clean.  Alex and I juiced the rest later for a simple lemon martini.

The time and attention we put into this tree certainly doesn't pay off in terms of harvest value.  But we love the rare occasions we can eat citrus grown right here in Columbus OH.

(My apologies for unfocused preschooler picture.  Constantly moving objects are not easy to photograph but I am working on it.)

Last of the Garden Carrots

On Saturday our little wraskally wrabbit and I prepared the last of our home grown carrots. We planted these Japanese long carrots back in August, I think.  We tended them until the second hard frost when we pulled them out of the ground.  The leafy heads were chopped off, dirt left on, and we stored them in a loosely tied plastic grocery sack in the fridge.

We've been slowly eating them since, savoring every delicious bite.  Whole carrots are so much tastier than the prewashed bagged "baby carrots" I grew up on.  Home grown whole carrots are even better than store whole carrots.

So Saturday we scrubbed and peeled and ate the last of the harvest.  They were still crunchy and tasty.  Next year: more carrots in the late season so we can have more for winter!

Our personal blog begins

We cook a lot and most people don't seem to do that these days.  We'll blog about interesting food finds here, as well as updates to our kitchen.  We plan to renovate it in December 2008 - January 2009 to make cooking and eating even more enjoyable.