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Navigating the World of CSA’s

April 23, 2016 By Julie 1 Comment

The In's and Out's of CSA's @mommiecooks

In case you’ve never heard of the term CSA before, it stands for Community Supported Agriculture.  The idea is that a farmer can sell a share of his expected crops to a person within the local community.  That person, in turn, receives a weekly box of what the farmer grows in exchange for payment and, in some cases, a set amount of volunteer hours on the farm. CSA’s have been around since the 1980’s but have only become commonplace in the last decade or so.

As CSA’s become more popular across the country, local companies have begun “sprouting up” in an effort to streamline the process and make quality local produce, meat, eggs and specialty products more available to the people in their communities.

The Produce Box is one such organization in the city of Charlotte where I live.  They take on the work of coordinating with local farmers and artisans and I sign up through them for a weekly box of goodies.  There are several benefits to using a company such as The Produce Box vs. a traditional CSA:

  1. Because they work with a larger number of farmers and artisans, your selection of goods is much greater than it would be if you were working with a single farm.
  2. In most cases, everything you purchase is delivered directly to your door so there is no need to travel and pick up your weekly box.
  3. You have the ability to skip a week if needed and you only pay from week to week instead of one large payment up front at the start of the growing season.
  4. You are still getting the benefits of supporting local agriculture in your community and keeping the family farm alive and thriving.

For two Thursdays (my delivery day) I set out a cooler and waited for my spoils to arrive. Here are a sampling of the goodies that showed up on my doorstep:

The in's and out's of CSA's @mommiecooks

In addition, I received a sheet detailing all the products in my delivery, which farm they came from, when to eat them for best quality and a recipe or serving suggestion for each.  Yes, you will pay a tiny bit more than in traditional grocery stores but in exchange you have the bonus of front door delivery and the peace of mind that you’re helping to support your local community.

If you live in North Carolina and think The Produce Box might be something you’d like to support, head over and check out their web page for more information.  If you’re outside of North Carolina, try running a Google search for local produce delivery and see what companies pop up.  You can also check out Local Harvest for a list or more traditional CSA’s in your area.

The In's and Out's of CSA's @mommiecooks

Note: While The Produce Box provided me with a credit to try out their service for two weeks, it should be noted that all opinions in this post, as always, are my own. 

 

Filed Under: Food, Uncategorized Tagged With: Community supported agriculture, csa, farmers, local

Lemon Almond Cookies

April 7, 2016 By Julie 2 Comments

Almond Lemon Cookie @mommiecooks

I adore spring. It’s not just the warmer weather I find appealing, but the gentle rousing of nature as it begins to wake up and once again come back to life.

Here in Charlotte it begins with the Bradford Pears.  You get up one morning and walk through your neighborhood to notice that suddenly, as if on cue, the trees have the most beautiful white flowers budding from their branches. This in itself is a glorious site, but then it gets better.  A handful of days later you walk down that same street, but now the leaves are pushing their way past the flowers causing a gentle rain of petals that my kids liken to a “first of the season” snowfall….

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Filed Under: Cookies, Dessert, Food Tagged With: almond, almond extract, cookies, Dessert, Lemon, spring, springtime

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake

March 19, 2016 By Julie 1 Comment

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake with Browned Butter Cream Cheese Frosting @mommiecooks

Thank goodness it’s Saturday.  Let’s be honest, it’s been a long, tiring week.  I don’t know about you, but I always struggle with the first week of the “spring forward” time change. Yes, I enjoy the longer daylight hours and yes, I delight in the warmer weather, but the loss of one of my precious hours of sleep?  Now that’s a tough pill to swallow….

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Filed Under: Cake, Dessert, Food Tagged With: bananas, browned butter, cake, Cream Cheese, Dessert

Veggie Barley Soup

March 2, 2016 By Julie 2 Comments

Veggie Barley Soup @mommiecooks

I’m not sure why I waited so long to get this soup up on the blog.  I love one pot meals and this dish definitely fits into that category.  It’s a staple at our house all through the cold weather season.  Not that you need convincing, of course, but here’s why I can’t stop eating the stuff:…

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Filed Under: Appetizers, Food, Main Course, One Dish Meals, Soup, Vegetarian Tagged With: 30 minute meal, barley, broth, Healthy, soup, spinach, Vegetarian

Bacon Ranch Pimento Cheese

January 29, 2016 By Julie 2 Comments

Bacon Ranch Pimento Cheese Spread from @mommiecooks

Who’s ready for the big game?  I know I am; especially since Carolina is a part of this year’s show!  I swear it’s electric around here.  Everyone, and I do mean everyone, has a flag, a shirt or a bumper sticker to show their support.  Charlotte is ready to kick some Denver butt (sorry Denver fans! I still love you!)….

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Filed Under: Appetizers, Dips, Food, Sponored Posts Tagged With: appetizer, cheese, dip, football, pimento, snack, sponsored post

Greek Inspired Peppers

January 12, 2016 By Julie 1 Comment

greekpeppers3 (1 of 1)

I may not be a fan of cold weather, but if there’s one thing I can say in favor of the dog days of winter it’s that the comfort food is worth the chill.  For me, soups, stews and nourishing whole grain dishes all rank up there with hugs and warm blankets.  I simply love to bite into a warm hearty bowl of cold weather food.  It’s the kind of goodness that thaws you from the inside out….

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Filed Under: Food, Main Course, One Dish Meals, Vegetarian Tagged With: barley, Dinner, Healthy, Mediterranean, peppers, stuffed, Vegetarian

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