Csa

[mrstephengross]

Hi folks... I recently signed up with a CSA, and it's been pretty cool. We get most of our produce every other week from a farm nearby in Wisconsin. It's organic, locally produced, and delivered at a comparable cost to traditional food sources. Yay!

--Steve

Stephen Gross
Minneapolis, MN
The Gross Report

[Corey]

Congrats . I think I will have to stick to the local farmers market though. more veriety to choose from. Also easier to get better prices.

CSA works good for those in the country and such for that it takes time for country folks to get to a local farmers market.

I am curious though, What do you get through the winter months or out of season?

[mrstephengross]

Originally Posted by Corey

Congrats . I think I will have to stick to the local farmers market though. more veriety to choose from. Also easier to get better prices.

CSA works good for those in the country and such for that it takes time for country folks to get to a local farmers market.

I am curious though, What do you get through the winter months or out of season?

In the winter, I go shopping like everyone else

Belonging to a CSA is also neat because you're directly connected to a specific farm. Rather than call me simply a "customer", technically I've bought a "share" in the farm. It's a bit more community-oriented this way. The farm hosts gatherings and it's pretty cool...

--Steve

Stephen Gross
Minneapolis, MN
The Gross Report

[Cleo]

Originally Posted by mrstephengross

In the winter, I go shopping like everyone else

Have you considered purchasing extras from the CSA of the things your family really enjoys? Or larger purchases from a framer's market? Larger quantities can be easily canned, frozen, or stored for use in the winter. Eating locally year-round, even in the Midwest, is easier than most people think.

I have taken up canning again this year. I also share a freezer with my neighbor (it's in their house, so they pay for the electric) and freeze things from my garden or the farmer's market.

[mrstephengross]

Originally Posted by Cleo

Have you considered purchasing extras from the CSA of the things your family really enjoys? Or larger purchases from a framer's market? Larger quantities can be easily canned, frozen, or stored for use in the winter. Eating locally year-round, even in the Midwest, is easier than most people think.

I have taken up canning again this year. I also share a freezer with my neighbor (it's in their house, so they pay for the electric) and freeze things from my garden or the farmer's market.

(1) Canning is an interesting idea--what's the start-up cost to get all the equipment you need? Also, couldn't I just buy canned goods if I know the source?

(2) My freezer is already full, because I bought a 1/8th of a cow (enough beef for a year or so). I bought it from an organic cattle ranch here in Minnesota.

--Steve

[Cleo]

Originally Posted by mrstephengross

(1) Canning is an interesting idea--what's the start-up cost to get all the equipment you need? Also, couldn't I just buy canned goods if I know the source?

(2) My freezer is already full, because I bought a 1/8th of a cow (enough beef for a year or so). I bought it from an organic cattle ranch here in Minnesota.

There is minimal start-up cost for canning. Things like jams/jelly and acidic veggies/fruits don't require a pressure canner, just a large pot (dutch oven) for hot water. If you want to get really carried away with other things, you would need a pressure canner (not sure on cost).

Canning jars will run you $5-7 at the grocery store or Farm&Fleet, but I've heard you can find them on Freecycle, etc. Pectin is needed for jams/jelly will run you $1.50-$2/pkg.

I have put up nearly 40 jars of jam so far this season. All with fruit from my garden or purchased locally from farmers. It took me about 1 hour to can 8 jars of black raspberry jam the other night, so it's not too tough. Now I have Christmas presents ready to give!

The only other thing I can in earnest is tomatoes (no pressure canner required). This requires a bit of effort, but an "assembly line" process makes it fun! I use the canned tomatoes all winter for absolutely everything...homemade spag sauce, soups, chili, etc.

Sure you could just buy them, but finding canned goods from a local source can be difficult. I think this is just one small example of skills that have gone by the wayside in our era of instant gratification and Big Box, one-stop shopping. Keeping up skills such as this may serve us well in the future. More importantly, when I can foods that I have grown myself I know for sure that they are organically grown and free of toxic pesticides.

[Corey]

Is there a way to can veggies without using "salt" or other toxic substance that will get the food to last up to a year on the shelf? I remember my mother dumping salt in the tomatoes when canning it was extreemly salty when eating and is bad for you in large quantity.

I am also concerend with the nutritional loss when heating the veggies and fruits for canning.

[Cleo]

Originally Posted by Corey

Is there a way to can veggies without using "salt" or other toxic substance that will get the food to last up to a year on the shelf? I remember my mother dumping salt in the tomatoes when canning it was extreemly salty when eating and is bad for you in large quantity.

I am also concerend with the nutritional loss when heating the veggies and fruits for canning.

I've personally never heard of using salt while canning. There's no point in it. I never observed my grandmother or mother using salt....especially with tomatoes....YUCK! (Salt is unnecessary. I use garlic, onion and herbs that I grow myself. Herbs are dried and stored in glass jars. All roots are stored all winter in my basement. But, that's a different post!)

Canning will safely preserve foods for long term storage (years).

Nutritional loss is less when freezing versus canning. Canning results in roughly a 20% loss in nutritional value (this is variable). I've studied health and nutrition quite extensively over the last few years and when fresh isn't available, frozen is your best alternative (and cheaper too when veggies are off season).

However, nutrition loss varies from veggie to veggie depending on the vitamin content....and your cooking & preparation skills. I steam or grill nearly everything because I don't like my veggies boiled to death. I did a quick Google search and came up with this article that seemed pretty good at explaining things. You may want to Google a bit more. The article points out that nutritional loss may vary greatly.

My other thought would be that a little effort with skills like gardening, canning, freezing will only be a benefit. There's a lot of satisfaction that comes from growing your own pesticide free veggies & fruits. Preserving your food only strengthens those feelings. For example, all of my canned tomatoes means that I am making LESS trips to some store, buying LESS packaging (glass jars or tin cans), reducing my food miles, increasing my health and nutrition.....and most importantly having some fun with all of it in the process.