Kohlrabi

One of the things that I absolutely love about being in a CSA program, is being introduced to new foods. This past week we got kohlrabi in our boxes- I had never even heard of that vegetable before. But isn't it pretty! I love the colors and its just so weird looking.




The other thing I love about this CSA program is that they tell us what to do with weird stuff like this. Apparently since these are still young and tender we can just cut up the root part and throw it in a salad, which I did and it was very yummy. It's almost like a cross between a turnip and a potato. I hear you can also cook and eat the leaves.

Have any of you ever encountered this strange vegetable before?

I Never Knew That Logs Could Be So Cool

At Calvert's Gift Farm, where I pick up my CSA shares, they have tons logs propped up and stacked all over the place. Can you guess what they are used for?

They have lots of holes drilled into them and a little bit of wax covering the holes.

They have tons of them just hanging out.

Just a hint, it's not for fire wood.



I would have never guessed this myself.



Give up?



They actually use these logs to grow Shiitake mushrooms!!! How cool this that!! I would have never thought to do that with a bunch of logs.



A few weeks ago when we went for our first CSA pick-up, my mom asked about these logs and got to take home some extra Shiitake mushrooms. The farmer explained to us that they drill holes in the logs, put in mushrooms spores then seal them with wax. After letting them sit for an entire year, they soak the logs in a barrel of water (you can see one of the barrels in the top picture). Mushrooms then grow out of the holes. Pretty sweet, huh? He also told us that these mushrooms taste much better than store bought (something I can attest to) because the ones you get from the store are typically grown on sawdust, which does not sound too appealing.

CSA Week 2

This sweet little kitty greeted me as I picked up my second week's share of veggies from the farm. I just love that there was a cat just chilling out on the strawberry table. He was super nice too and made me pet him for like 10 minutes. I also love how these farmers are just so trusting. They let us walk around their farm and pick up veggies without anyone around but the cat. It's pretty awesome.

First CSA Pick-Up

Today my mom and I ventured to Calvert's Gift farm to pick up our first share of vegetables and walk around the farm. Here is what was included this week:

Bok Choi
Spinach
Spring Salad Mix
Carrots
Strawberries
Scallions

We also got to pick up a few extras that they were offering. That white bag is full of a mix of kale, collards and chard. They also had some pea shoots and arugula which I threw in with my salad mix. My mom got those shitake mushrooms for asking the owner a question. See what happens when you ask questions- you might get some fungus.

Overall I am quite happy about all the veggies we got and I am excited to try them, although I already know the strawberries are sweet and delicious.

Community Supported Agriculture

In just under a week I will be starting another year of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and I just can't wait. For anyone unfamiliar with them, CSA programs are basically where you pay a farmer in the beginning of the year for an entire season's worth of produce. Then every week during the growing season you get a share of vegetables and sometimes fruit. Its a pretty great way to get more connected to where your food comes from, support local farmers and enjoy some great produce.

Last year I participated in One Straw Farm's CSA program. It was a great experience. I got to enjoy delicious organic produce every week while learning more about what vegetables are typically grown at what time in Maryland. I even got to try some vegetables that I wasn't too familiar with like chard and bok choy. I highly recommend One Straw Farm to anyone looking for a CSA around Baltimore. All of the people are extremely friendly and they have tons of drop off locations that make it convenient to pick up your produce. I'm pretty sure that they still have a few openings left for this year, so if you're interested you can sign up on their website: http://www.onestrawfarm.com/.

This year, however, we decided to try something new just for the heck of it, so we went with the Calvert's Gift Farm CSA (http://www.calvertsgiftfarm.com/) . They are a smaller organic farm and instead of picking up your produce at drop off locations, you go directly to the farm to get your veggies. I like that I'll be going to the farm every week- it makes me feel as though I'll be more connected to the whole process . Another cool benefit to this program is that they offer free pick-your-own blackberries (can anyone say blackberry jam!) as well flowers. In addition, along with the vegetable share, you have the option to participate in an egg share where you get a dozen eggs either every week or every other week. These eggs come from another local farm where the chickens are treated nicely and given plenty of space and access to the outdoors. Overall I think this program seems pretty cool, so I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

If you're not located near Baltimore but are still interested in CSA, don't give up hope. There may be a CSA program in your area, and who knows it might not be too late to sign up for it. You can find a list of links to help in your serach for a CSA near you at www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/csa/csa.shtml.