a peek inside the fishbowl

Have you ever been part of a CSA? Community Supported Agriculture is a wonderful way of supporting areas farmers and eating seasonally, closer to home. I’ve always been intrigued by the idea, but never really followed through, mostly because I wasn’t sure if making this kind of Committment to Vegetables could actually work for my family.

For those who are new to the idea, when you become a member of a CSA, you’re purchasing a “share” of produce from a local farmer. CSA members pay for the season’s produce up front and receive a weekly delivery throughout the summer and early fall, ultimately sharing the season’s bounty as well as the risk (of blight, of drought, etc.). It also means living a little closer to the land and truly knowing where our food comes from.

A few weeks ago I received an email from Michael Milsom, the man behind Mike’s Garden Harvest, a CSA here in Ottawa. Here he is:

He asked me if my family and I would like to sample his produce throughout the season, so we set up a time to chat about it a bit more. This guy is incredibly passionate about feeding families. His CSA had 32 members last year and almost all of the families returned this season. He’s growing (no pun intended) and this year he’s prepared to feed 125 local families.

As I see it, there are a few very big benefits of buying a share in a CSA:

• This is locally grown, organic (!!) produce that is harvested at peak times, ensuring ultimate freshness.
• It will reduce the amount of time I spend at the grocery store. Also, my regular grocery store doesn’t have great produce and sometimes I find myself going to multiple stores to get what I need. Home delivery of fresh veggies = more time to do other things. Woot!
• There are also different varieties in play here, which I’m VERY excited about. Let’s look at the 2015 list of lettuce, for example: Flashy Trout Back, Muir, Baby Oak leaf, Concept, Ridgeline Romaine, Jericho Romaine, Crispano, Rhazes. (Do yourself a favour and see the whole list right here.)

I’m excited that we’re going to be eating a more diverse array of veggies. And who knows, maybe the girls will find something new they like… especially if they know it’s from “our” farm friend. And if we get too much of something? I will be gifting it to our neighbours. (WATCH OUT NEIGHBOURS!) :)

And so we chatted, and I agreed to the generous gift of a share, because who can refuse fresh veggies delivered to their door and the promise of wonderful meals for an entire summer? That being said, I’ll be tweeting a show and tell of each delivery and posting it on my Facebook page, along with my thoughts and observations of that week’s bounty. You may also see an influx of veggies in my Daily Lunches too. I’m also hoping that my family will have an opportunity to visit the farm at some point over the summer too, so we can really get the inside scoop. Stay tuned!

Have you ever tried a share in a CSA? Why or why not? I’d love to hear about your experience. Would you be interested in getting a share of Mike’s harvest this year and trying this veggie experiment with me for a season? If so, he still has a few shares available. Check out the options right here.

Just HOW many #BIRDS does #OTTAWA have? Xtra large image here: http://t.co/rJfkRuDLD9 pic.twitter.com/GZTG8f0KCc

— Ottawa Bird Count (@OttawaBirds) April 8, 2015

• The “Food Babe” Blogger Is Full of Shit, gawker.com
• Colouring books for adults top Amazon bestseller list, theguardian.com
• When scientists talk about the dangers of sitting, it doesn’t mean you have to run marathons, thestar.com
• Adult Onset by Ann-Marie MacDonald review – an acidly funny portrait of parenthood, theguardian.com

On the nightstand: Adult Onset

It’s easy to find joy when you’re feeling great, isn’t it? When you’re well fed, well rested, and feel like everything is going wonderfully in your life, you probably find yourself tripping over joyous moments as you stop to smell the roses. Joy begets joy.

Here’s a question, how do you find those moments when you’re not feeling so hot?

I say this only because I feel like I’ve finally gotten to the end of a rather crummy week. Not that anything awful has happened, but I’ve been tied down with a head cold and not sleeping particularly well. Add to that the gloomy weather we’ve been having and a kitchen full of dirty dishes and a trip to the grocery store that awaits. Something as simple as a trip to the store isn’t so simple today. It feels like someone has asked me to climb Kilimanjaro in flip flops. CAN I DO THIS?

I feel drained, like a wrung out old sponge, one with a whiff of mould about it no less. I desperately need a haircut and colour and some kind of wardrobe injection. (Scratch that, I actually need a stylist and someone to tell me, “YES, YOUR BUTT DOES LOOK TOO BIG IN THOSE PANTS LADY.”) My current roster of footwear is depressing the crap out of me right now and frankly, when I think about it, I realize, more than anything I’d rather be eating a tray of brownies in bed right now thankyouverymuch.

I am struggling to find the joy today, but I will. I will buy ingredients for brownies while I’m at the store, and watch the robins hop around in this April bluster, and I will cuddle with Piper, and I will push past this and patiently await the coming of sunnier days.