FOOD ENTRY (nothing to do with running)

I know this is mainly a running blog, but who DOESN'T like food?? I mean really. So hopefully you try this and enjoy it (plus, its healthy - so it fits nicely in this blog).

All over (not just Northern VA) there are CSA (community assisted agriculture) programs. It's pretty much a program where you pay for a 'share' of a local farm and for about 20 weeks in the summer/fall (usually June - Oct) you will get fresh produce once a week. So basically, you DON'T have to grocery shop for food, AND everything is fresh.

This is awesome because it helps out farmers, and some of the produce (usually vegetables) will be kinds you haven't had before - plus they come with a newsletter with recipes.

They can run anywhere from like $300 up to like $1K!! Crazy expensive I know! But it all depends on the size of the share you get, how much variety you want, and how you want it delivered (pick up on farm, delivered to your door, pick up at a local delivery station).

My friends Heather and Jonna had told me about it last year and it sounded AWESOME, so my roomster (Mikaela) and I DEF wanted to do it this year - we LOVE to cook, and you CANNOT fail with 'fresh from the farm' produce.

So we have signed up for a "peck" portion of vegetables, and added a fruit share to it for this Spring. We are ordering from http://www.bullrunfarm.com/ and splitting the cost. For the Peck Share (the same as half a share - a full share feeds like a full family of 4 for a WHOLE week, which would be WAY too much for us) it was only $420 and the fruit share was another $90. So we only have to pay $255 each - for about 20 weeks of NOT having to buy fruits/vegetables at the grocery store. That evens out to less than $13/week for fruits/veggies from the store.

Here's what we will get throughout the season from Bull Run (each week we will get a variety of what is available for that month):

June: Broccoli, Cilantro, Cauliflower, Garlic Flowers, Arugula, Mizuna, Tatsoi, Pac Choi, Lettuce, Stir Fry Mix, Mesclun Mix, Radish, Spinach
July: Broccoli, String Beans, Lima Beans, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumbers, Flowers, Garlic, Hot Peppers, Other Peppers, Potatoes, Zucchini, Summer Squash, Cherry Tomatoes, Tomatoes, Basil, Herbs
August: String Beans, Lima Beans, Beets, Sweet Corn, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Flowers, Garlic, Swiss Chard, Leeks, Okra, Onions, Parsley, Sweet Peppers, Other Peppers, Zucchini, Summer Squash, Cherry Tomatoes, Tomatoes, Tomatillos, Husk Tomatoes, Watermelon, Basil, Herbs
Sept: String Beans, Lima Beans, Sweet Corn, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Flowers, Garlic, Swiss Chard, Leeks, Okra, Parsley, Sweet Peppers, Hot Peppers, Other Peppers, Cherry Tomatoes, Tomatoes, Tomatillos, Husk Tomatoes, Basil, Herbs, Honey
Oct: Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cilantro, Chinese Cabbage, Eggplant, Flowers, Garlic, Gourds, Arugula, Mizuna, Tatsoi, Pac Choi, Lettuce, Mustard Greens, Stir Fry Mix, Mesclun Mix, Parsley, Sweet Peppers, Hot Peppers, Other Peppers, Pumpkin, Sweet Potatoes, Spinach, Winter Squash, Cherry Tomatoes, Tomatoes, Rutabaga, Basil, Herbs, Honey

Our pick-up is on Monday evenings at the East Falls Church Metro - so it'll be easy for us to pick it up on the way home from work.

If you're interested - hit up this site: http://www.localharvest.org/ and you can find a CSA in your area, and you can also check out the pricing to pick which one works best for you.

Once it starts up, I'll prob put some recipes and pix of the stuff we get through the program.

- apes -