Pork Chops and C.S.A.

Today, we are having pork chops, mashed potatoes, and spinach for dinner. This summer, we frequented a farmer's market just south of our home. We found this family who raises free range pigs and sells them periodically throughout the year. We ordered 1/2 hog from them and it was delivered in October. Since we are fortunate enough to have an extra freezer, this has been an excellent way to incorporate organic food into our diet in an inexpensive way. This is the best pork I have tasted in a long time. They raise them organically, and if I may age myself, it tastes like pork used to taste like before it became the "other white meat".

This family also owns a CSA. CSA is "consumer supported agriculture". Here's how it works. Usually a small farm owner wants to grow more crops organically. He or she options a CSA. Consumers pay an up front fee at the beginning or well before the growing season of 300-600 dollars depending on how much of a "share" they want. The farmer uses these funds to support his farm and the consumers get a "share" of the produce that is grown throughout the season. A share is usually picked up weekly and consists of a portion of whatever is ready to eat. In the spring a share might consist of a lot of greens. Mid-summer a share would consist of tomatoes, cucumber and other summer vegetables. Late summer-early fall would be squash and root vegetables.

It's a great way to eat organically while not putting a huge dent in your budget and at the same time supporting local business and agricuture.

On the down side, if for whatever reason the farm does not produce a lot, drought, freezes, floods, you don't get a refund for non-production. But I look at it this way, it's good for the environment. If I support a local organic farmer, if he has a bad year but is still getting local support, he won't sell to the BIG agricultural farm that will use pesticides, fertilizer and hormones that eventually will leech into the ground water and thus into my family's food supply. I win either way.


I have posted a link to a good site to search for a CSA, farmer's market or co-op near your home. Purchasing organically grown, in-season food is a great way to feed your family. Not only are you not consuming hormones and chemicals, but you are reducing your carbon footprint because your produce did not ride in a truck cross country to get to the grocery store.

So, tonight, we are eating pork chops. Pork chops that were not fed hormones or given antibiotics, pork chops that did not ride in a truck to get to my table, and pork chops that taste really, really good.