Bellicose Bumpkin

A while back I had a podcast and post about a local CSA run by The Dahlia Farm. I thought I’d post an update on how it’s gone. We’re a couple of months in now. The posted picture is of a recent 1/2 share. We have baby/pickling cukes, fresh basil, kohlrabi, zuchini, baby carrots, blueberries, red/green swiss chard, green beans.

Early in the season there are lots of greens – many whose names I can’t spell or remember – along with more traditional fare. So far I’ve been real happy with the CSA and Mr. Reynolds(a friend of my BTW) has been good about soliciting feedback.

I pick up my share once a week and usually hit the supermarket on the way home to buy stuff that compliments the share. For instance, there may not be all the ingredients for a salad, but there is usually most of them depending on the season. On occasion there might be a bit of fresh cut flowers or even some home made soap. Nice.

All in all it’s been a great experience. The food is fresh, free of chemicals, and quite a notch above what I’ve been buying in the supermarket.

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In this week’s podcast I talk to Jim Reynolds – owner of The Dahlia Farm in Middleboro that has just started up a CSA – Community Supported Agriculture. In a CSA, you buy a share of a farmer’s crop and pick up produce during the growing season. Mr. Reynolds also runs Reynolds Flowers

Other local CSA’s include Plato’s Harvest and I believe the Soule Homestead.

After our discussion, I bought a half share of the CSA – which came out to around $15 per week. This includes enough veggies to feed 2 people for a week, some eggs, and I think some fresh flowers. Jim also gave me a dozen eggs from his free range chickens.

The picture above is the last 2 eggs from this dozen with 3 supermarket eggs. The photo does not do justice to the amazing orange color in the yolks – apparently from high levels of beta-Carotene. The shells are very strong and break very cleanly. The eggs have a great texture and flavor. Supermarket eggs are just pale and sickly in comparison.

In this discussion, Jim talks about the mechanics of the CSA, why he decided to do one at this time, and organic farming in general. For more info, contact The Dahlia Farm.

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Partially related to my column in this week’s Gazette is the topic of CSA – Community Supported Agriculture. Basically you buy a “share” of a farmer’s crop. X dollars entitles you to X amount of produce. Unlike a community garden – where you have to water and otherwise tend to the crops, a CSA is the lazyman’s lobster of fresh produce. You pay the bucks, farmer does the work, and you get the food.

A new CSA is mentioned in theEnterprise this weekend:

I’m planning to buy a shared in this CSA and will post my thoughts on it.

A quick search for other CSA’s in Middleboro turned up Plato’s Harvest and I believe the Soule Homestead offers one as well.

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