Handy way to feed the family fresh and sustainable food at a handy price.

     Recently we decided to take part in a local farm's CSA programs. It is community supported agriculture.  Basically we pay an up front amount for what share we want and for 22 weeks we get a box full of fresh produce and/or meat every week. It is a great way to support local farmers and a great way to be sure you know what is in the food you are eating.  A regular share is enough to feed a small family their basic vegetable needs works out to be about $35 a week.


     *CSA members participate in their own food supply by committing to share in the harvest of a local farm. Members purchase shares in the spring, and each week receive seasonal vegetables: a subscription to the farm’s weekly harvest. A CSA creates a unique relationship between the consumer and the producer – nowadays, not only do many people not know what country or what state their food comes from, they certainly don’t know the farmer who picked the tomatoes they are eating. By joining a CSA you express your support for locally grown food, for clean food, and for the farmers that grow it. CSA may not replace patronizing a farmers market. It does guarantee your access to the best of each week’s harvest. This is a way to be a part of something positive for you and your community. *info from elmwoodstockfarm.com




Important factors for our family when choosing who to do a CSA with:


   -they are good to the animals and let them graze and roam free at all times.
   -they are good to the earth
   -they don't use harsh chemicals on crops
   -they don't use hormones or antibiotics in their meats.
   
  


We chose to do a CSA with Elmwood Stock Farm.  As a CSA member one of their benefits is a farm tour. We went on the farm tour on Mother's Day and had so much fun. Here are a few pictures: 

Know your local farmer and know what your eating.

Some good links to get you started:

www.elmwoodstockfarm.com

My Father's Garden Winchester, Ky CSA 

A Food Revolution!!

I am super excited about a new TV series on ABC called "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution" the first episode airs on Friday March 26 at 9pm.  Click Here to watch the trailer.

In the series, Jamie goes to Huntington, West Virginia. Recently Huntington was named the unhealthiest city in America. He is on a mission to try and help Huntington off that list. In doing this he is hoping to start a chain reaction that ultimately makes positive changes across the country.  Needless to say he meets resistance in Huntington from locals who disagree with him.  But is also welcomed by some of the young population.  

Jamie says, "The time is right for people to rediscover the sense of pride, satisfaction and fun you can get from cooking for the people you love. There's an incredible community in Huntington, and I want this experience to be a celebration of what we can achieve when people come together. I want to prove that turning around the epidemic of obesity and bad health doesn't have to be boring or dull in the slightest. Wonderful stories will unfold in Huntington, and hopefully this will inspire the rest of the States."

Join Jamie's Food Revolution and sign the petition

Click here to sign the petition

   

Below I have copied some facts from Jamie's webpage.  It is a harsh reality.

Obesity and Overweight 

• Two-thirds  of  American  adults  weigh  too  much.

 

• More than 27%  are  obese. That’s  72 million  people.  In the worst  states, Mississippi, Alabama, West  

         Virginia and Tennessee, that figure rises to over 30%.

 

• If  rates continue to rise, in just five years’  time, by 2015, 40%  of  Americans   will  be  obese.  

• Obese  people  suffer  from  poore health  including  heart disease, diabetes and cancer.  

• Obesity accounts for nearly  10%  of  all  medical  costs   this  amounts  to  $14 billion  annually.

• Healthcare  costs  are  42%  higher   for  someone  who  is  obese - that’s over  $1,400  each.  

• Medicare  spends  $600  more  on  prescription  drugs  for  an  obese  person. 

Childhood Obesity 

• Nearly  one  in  three  (32%,  23 million)  American children are obese  or  overweight. 

• In total,  17%  of  kids   of all  ages are obese,  but  this  rises  to  over  25%  in  all but  three  states for kids  

aged  10-17. 

• Most  obese children (over 80%)  will  also  be  obese  as  adults. 

• Today’s generation  of children are predicted to  be  the  first  to die  before  their  parents,  due  to    

obesity-related bad  health.