CSA Selection - NFL Combine style

My husband gets the credit for the analogy between choosing your CSA (Community supported agriculture) and the NFL Combine. I enjoy cheering for the Eagles, and I understand a lot of the game, but I'd never heard of the Combine. For anyone confused by the comparison, here's a quick explanation. Every February, the top college athletes are asked to demonstrate their strength, speed, and skills before coaches and scouts. Essentially, it's a way for teams to compare players in one place before the draft. Even though the football season doesn't begin until fall, the coaches want time to plan their rosters. For those of us wanting to eat affordable, local, and seasonal foods, February is CSA sign-up time. The harvest doesn't begin until June, but the farmers need time to plan crops, quantities, and have money to buy seeds. Before you draft your vegetables for the next season, here is a comparison of your options.

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/legalcode

The Tests: 

1. Speed Test: How much time does it take to get your food during a pick-up? 

It is really important to find a CSA that matches your schedule and availability. When we were part of  Red Hill Farm, I could spend 1-1.5 hours during a pick-up because of all the wonderful, but time-consuming, options for the u-pick portion of the share. I needed to allocate enough time each week to sample cherry tomatoes off the vine and cut a bouquet of sunflowers. We split a full share with another family, so I only had to do the pick-up every other week.  In comparison, I spent about 5 minutes during a pick-up from Red Earth Farm. All of my items were already in a box, and I just had to transfer them to my bags. I could pay extra for flowers if I wanted them, but there weren't any free u-pick items. How much time will your schedule allow this year?

2. Volume Test: How many vegetables can you eat or preserve each week?

I've grown suspicious of the descriptions from CSAs that guide your choice about a full or partial share. This past year, I read that a full share was good for a family of four or a couple that eats a lot of vegetables. Since we had four family members, I figured we should go for a full share. Oops. We were drowning in vegetables, and I felt ashamed at how much went to waste before I could cook it. This year, we will be splitting a full share with another family. Instead of 10 items every week, we will have 5. I will be able to include the 5 vegetables in our weekly meals, and with Red Earth Farm I can always order extra if I have time to preserve more. Unless you eat tons of vegetables, I would recommend splitting a share or getting a partial share. You can always buys more vegetables at a local farmer's market, but too many vegetables can lead to an over-stuffed refrigerator and waste.

3. The Green Test - Does the farm use organic or conventional methods for fertilization and pest management? 

I have been a member of three CSAs, and none of them were "Certified Organic." It is costly for a farm to apply for federal organic certification. Instead, all of the farms I joined follow organic techniques. Before signing up for a CSA, make sure you ask whether the farm uses organic or conventional methods for fertilization and pest management.

4. The Selection Test - Do you get a choice about what vegetables you receive each week? 

Red Earth Farm allows you to see a list of available vegetables each week, and you can select which ones you would like to receive. We were able to avoid some vegetables that we struggled to eat in the past, and we could plan the weekly menu in advance. Many CSAs provide the same vegetables for everyone. This leads to some surprising items in your weekly share, but it can be a fun challenge learning how to cook new foods. I definitely recommend getting a thorough recipe book like Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything. The weekly surprises in our CSA box have expanded our palates and we've found new favorites that we'd never tried before.

5. The Google Images Test - Are items labeled or do you have to guess what you have through a search of Google Images? 

This question was generated by my first CSA experience. I split a share with a friend through a Maryland-based CSA. The food came in a box without labels, and we had a great time trying to figure out what we had. Alien broccoli, anyone?

I spent two seasons with Red Hill Farm, and they have a large dry erase board with a list of items for the week. They also label each basket. I discovered that the camera on my phone was helpful so that I could remember what some of the unusual items were called. The box from Red Earth Farm has a print-out of items you selected for the week.

6. The Extras Test - What other options are available? 

Sometimes a CSA will allow you to also sign up for a fruit, yogurt, egg, or cheese share. Red Hill Farm always has free u-pick items as part of the weekly share. One of my favorite memories of Red Hill was picking strawberries during a warm summer rain. Red Hill also has a winter market where members can buy fresh vegetables throughout the winter season.

Additional questions:

1. Is there a safe area for kids to play on the farm during pick-ups?

2. Is there a newsletter or other resources with ideas for recipes?

3. Are there any community parties or ways to get to know other members?

4. Are you expected to volunteer on the farm?
5. Are work shares available?
6. Is the payment due at once or can it be paid in installments?

Draft Time:

So, are you a suburban wanna-be farmer who loves getting some sun while picking raspberries or a busy mom with young kids who values speed and convenience at this stage of life? Hopefully, these tests will help you evaluate your local CSAs and draft one that meets your needs for time, budget, and refrigerator space.

Delaware County, PA CSA Options:
1. Hillside Farm, Media, PA
2. Red Earth Farm -many pick-up locations including Swarthmore, Wallingford, Media, and Philadelphia
3. Red Hill Farm, Aston, PA
4. SIW Vegetables, Chadds Ford, PA - attached to a farmer's market and has some unusual options
5. Thornbury Farm, West Chester, PA
Looking for a CSA in your area? Check www.localharvest.org for farms near you.

Are you a CSA member? What do you look for in your CSA?

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrxstitch/10101937084/">mrxstitch</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a>

Where can you find nutritious food when it's not in your neighborhood grocery store?

I've been on a journey towards traditional foods for the past three years, and finding healthy foods is one of the biggest hurdles I've encountered during this process. I would read about the benefits of raw milk or grass-fed beef, but then I wasn't sure where to buy them. I live in a suburb of Philadelphia, and we don't have dairy farms or chickens in our backyards. With a little investigation, I've discovered raw milk, grass-fed beef, pastured poultry and eggs, and raw honey within a 20 minute drive of my home. During a typical week, I may purchase food from 3-4 sources, so it's definitely not as convenient as one-stop shopping at the local grocery store. However, I know I'm buying fresh, healthy food, and I'm directly supporting local farmers. Here are some of my sources, and I'll continue to add more to the list as I find them.


View Our Food Map in a full screen map

Butter from grass-fed cows: 

1. Your Family Farmer

2. Trader Joes or Wholefoods  - I buy Kerrygold butter.

3. Local health food store.

4. My local milk co-op (see raw milk section) has found a source of raw butter and raw cream. It's not always available, but I was really excited about the option.

Coconut Oil:

1. Trader Joe's or your local grocery store
2.  Tropical Traditions - also has coconut flour, coconut milk, and tomato products in glass jars instead of cans
3. Vitacost

Organic Produce:

1. CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) - We have been part of Red Hill Farm and Red Earth Farm. Red Earth Farm has delivery points throughout the Philadelphia area. 

2. Indian Orchard - A tiny, hundred-year-old family farm where you can pick peaches, blueberries, pears, and apples. It's located near Linvilla Orchard in Media, PA.
3. Farmer's Markets - Ridley Park (Thurs. 4-7pm), Swarthmore (Sat. 9:30am-1:30pm), and Media (Thurs. 3-7pm). Here's a link to information about many farmer's markets in the Philadelphia region. 
4. Your Family Farmer
5. Door to Door Organics
6. BJ's Wholesale and Costco often sell organic produce

Raw milk and pastured eggs: 

1. The most affordable milk I've found ($4/gallon!) is through a local milk co-op. We pick up from Green Ridge Farm in Parkesburg, PA. You can find many more farms that sell raw milk in PA at the www.realmilk.com.
2. My local health food store Martindale's sells raw milk, cheese, pastured eggs, grass-fed beef, and organic produce.
3. Your Family Farmer is a group of farmers that sell raw milk, raw cheese, pastured poultry and eggs, woodland pork, and grass-fed beef. They deliver every 2 weeks to drop-off points throughout Pennsylvania.
4. When I've traveled, I've found sources of raw milk in CT, FL, and NH through the website www.realmilk.com. It has a "real milk finder" with information about each state in the United States. One of our favorite vacation memories was meeting a three day old calf at a dairy farm in NH when we stopped to buy raw milk and cheese.

Pastured Chickens and Grass-fed beef:
1. Canter Hill Farm in Malvern, PA. They sell at local farmer's markets, and they sell retail in Wolff's Apple House in Media, PA.
2. Forks Farm in Orangeville, PA. They also sell at local farmer's markets, and they have a monthly drop-off in Media. There is a Facebook group you can join if you are interested in their drop-off.
3. Your Family Farmer - They have weekly drop-offs in Media, and they have weekly or bi-weekly deliveries all over the state of PA.
4. Farmer's markets - Ridley Park (Thurs. 4-7pm), Swarthmore (Sat. 9:30am-1:30pm), and Media (Thurs. 3-7pm). Here's a link to information about many farmer's markets in the Philadelphia region.

The Weston A. Price Foundation produces an annual "Shopping Guide" with 'Best, Good, and Avoid' categories for all kinds of food.  I have several copies of this guide if you would like one, and you can get more information or request one at www.westonaprice.org. 

Christmas = family petri dish of germs

While blogging has fallen by the wayside for a period of time, my efforts at real food have continued. I've been learning and trying new things, made it through a pregnancy, and now have another baby boy.  I've grown increasingly cautious about turning to conventional medicine for everyday aches, pains, and mild illnesses, but I didn't have many "all natural" or holistic tools to offer my family as an alternative. A friend kept posting about the wonders of essential oils, and I finally decided to give them a try.

This fall I signed up for an introductory pack of essential oils and a diffuser from Young Living. One of the oil blends is called Thieves. According to the Essential Oils pocket reference, 5th Ed., the clove, lemon, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus, and rosemary oils in the blend have antiviral, antiseptic, antibacterial, and anti-infectious properties. There was a study held at Weber State University in Oregon in 1997, and it showed that after 20 minutes of diffusing Thieves, there was a 99.3 percent reduction in the number of gram positive Micrococcus luteus organisms. Since I had no idea what that organism was, I looked it up on Wikipedia. Essentially, it is a bacteria that is typically found on human skin, and it can colonize in the mouth, nose, throat, and upper respiratory system. It doesn't usually cause illness, but it can be dangerous for people with compromised immune systems.

Since November, I've been diffusing Thieves in our home in an effort to kill bacteria and nasty germs. As a family, we made it through November and December with just some congestion and mild coughing. As we packed to visit family for Christmas, we heard that my two nieces were diagnosed with Type A influenza three days before we would see them.  The diffuser and Thieves were on the top of our packing list. During our trip, I diffused Thieves in the kitchen and the bedroom where we were sleeping. Even though my sister-in-law said she felt achey on the day we arrived, her symptoms didn't get worse, and no one else got the flu. We came home with some mild cold symptoms, and my three year old had minor tummy issues, but overall, we were just fine. After spending five days together with 14 people in one house, we were rejoicing that the flu and other illnesses were held at bay. Unfortunately, I learned today that my sister-in-law was diagnosed five days after our trip with walking pneumonia, but we're praying she gets better soon.

One day after we came home, we packed and drove down to spend some time with my in-laws. During the week before our visit, various people from that side of the family had bad colds and pink eye. As we drove, we heard that our nephew was running a fever. The next morning, during our visit, he was diagnosed with strep. Before the doctor's appointment, my oldest son was sitting next to my nephew. The boys were being silly and breathing on each other while their faces were just an inch away from one another. The diffuser and Thieves came out again. We ran it in the kitchen and in the playroom during the day and in our bedroom at night. We had 8 children under the age of 6 and 8 adults in the house. The incubation period for strep is usually 2-5 days. It's been 6 days, and no one else got strep. My mother-in-law has been ill, and my baby and I have been congested, but strep did not spread.

Merry Christmas 

and a 

Happy and Healthy 2014 

from our family to yours!

I'm so grateful to have found essential oils as one of my tools to support health. This Christmas we were exposed to a host of illnesses, and we walked away relatively unscathed. I'm going to continue giving my family probiotics, fermented cod liver oil, bone broth, and raw milk kefir to build their immune systems, but it's nice to have a strategy to fight germs in our home and when we are traveling. I know essential oils can be expensive, but they are worth the cost to me compared to the copayments at doctor appointments, missed work, and prescription costs for antibiotics.
For my local friends, I'm going to be organizing a Thieves party soon where we can make hand gel and household cleaners with Thieves. Please let me know if you're interested, and I can get you more information. I can also help people get Thieves for wholesale prices.

Essential oils pocket reference. United States of America: Life Science Publishing, May 2011. Print.

"Micrococcus luteus." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. np. Last modified 7 Dec 2013. Web. 3 Jan 2014.

Here's a link to a video that explains more about how to use Thieves.
Thieves Video 
Here's some of the Thieves products and more information:
Thieves Booklet

Signs of Change

My two little boys are in their playroom setting the table and pretending to make food. I just overheard Curious George say to Happy Dancer, "I'm scooping your cod liver oil." Wow, how our diet has changed!

Since we are drinking raw milk without added Vitamin D, we needed another source of Vitamin D in our diet. The Weston A. Price Foundation describes cod liver oil as "our most important superfood." Their website has detailed information about the importance of cod liver oil, and they have recommendations for the best brands.

Every day we take our butter oil/fermented cod liver oil from Green Pasture. We began with the Chocolate cream, and the combination of chocolate and fish was initially gag-inducing. My husband couldn't stand it, so he switched to the capsules. Since our little boys can't take a capsule yet, we had to find a way to tolerate the smell and taste. I discovered that if I coated the spoonful of cod liver oil with applesauce, I could swallow without wanting to lose my lunch. Amazingly, my palate has really changed over the last 6 months, and now I don't really need the applesauce. I don't even smell the fishy aroma anymore. For variety, we tried Green Pasture's Cinnamon Tingle flavor of cod liver oil. They aren't kidding about the "tingle" part. The tingle was so strong that it made Happy Dancer cry. We had to separate his 1/2 tsp. serving over several bites with lots of applesauce. Now we are back to the Chocolate Cream flavor, and everyone happily takes their cod liver oil every night.

Heart Surgeon Speaks Out On What Really Causes Heart Disease

My grandma and two of my uncles died from heart disease. I'm praying that the changes we are making to our diet will stop the pattern of people dying too young in our family.

Heart Surgeon Speaks Out On What Really Causes Heart Disease -- Health & Wellness -- Sott.net: http://www.sott.net/articles/show/242516-Heart-Surgeon-Speaks-Out-On-What-Really-Causes-Heart-Disease

Pumpkin Chip Muffins: A recipe in progress

 Pumpkin Chip Muffins get a healthier make-over.

Pumpkin and chocolate are such a great combination, and I was thrilled when I found a delicious recipe for pumpkin chip muffins from www.tasteofhome.com. My boys devoured these sweet muffins. As I progressed in our real food journey, I loved the flavor of these muffins, but I hated the 2 cups of refined sugar and 3 cups of white flour. I started substituting better ingredients as I learned more and acquired the healthier ingredients. I started with fifty percent white flour and fifty percent whole wheat flour. I recently tried a new grain-freee pumpkin chip recipe with coconut flour, but my dear hubby was not a fan. Now I use a mixture of whole wheat flour and sprouted wheat flour. Some day I hope to be only using sprouted wheat, but I haven't experimented with that yet. I tried a few different brands of stevia for a portion of the sugar, but I thought they had a strange aftertaste. Then I moved to maple syrup and maple sugar. I've cut the amount of sugar in half, and now I use sucanat. Coconut oil is substituted for the canola oil. The muffins aren't quite as sweet with the current recipe, but they are still delicious, and all my guys gave them the seal of approval. They are an easy, portable breakfast for my husband who grabs breakfast to go. 

My Ingredients 

Expeller-pressed coconut oil

Pastured eggs, organic pumpkin, and sucanat

Homemade Baking Power- I found the simple recipe here. 

Prep: 10 min. Bake: 15 min. + cooling Yield: 27 servings

Ingredients

• 4 pastured eggs 
• 1 cup sucanat (rapadura, maple syrup, or other healthy sweetener)
• 1 can (15 oz.) solid-pack pumpkin 
• 1 - 1/2 cups expeller-pressed coconut oil 
• 1 - 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 - 1/2 cups sprouted whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 
• 2 cups or 10 oz. of semisweet chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life brand.) 

The cookie scoop makes filling the muffins neat and easy. 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

2. Pull eggs out of refrigerator. Melt coconut oil in small pan on low heat. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sucanat, pumpkin, and oil until smooth. 

3. In a medium bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. 

4. Gradually add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and mix well. 

5. Fold in chocolate chips. 

6. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. 

7. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. 

8. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. 

Yield: About 27 muffins 

Mmm, now I want to make some more.

This post is linked back to Sunday School at Butter Believer and Monday Mania at the Healthy Home Economist. 

Raw milk to go

We recently spent a wonderful, sunny week in Florida, and as I planned for the trip, I realized that our real food diet wouldn't be easy while we traveled. If I truly value this healthy food, then why would I give my family fast food and junk for a week if I have the ability to plan ahead and I have access to a full kitchen at my destination? I challenged myself to research and think ahead so that we could continue with healthy foods as much as possible. A few problems presented themselves quickly.

• Locating real food: I've spent months figuring out how to find the most affordable sources for raw milk, grass-fed or pastured meats, and organic fruits and vegetables in my own area. How can I find raw milk in another state? 
• Transporting: Real food is often very perishable. What foods should I try to bring in my luggage on an airplane, and what should I buy at my destination? 
• Ingredients: Many of my real food recipes call for ingredients that I've prepared ahead (chicken stock, roasted chicken, soaked and dehydrated nuts, etc.) What recipes could I make at the hotel that don't require other steps to prepare the ingredients? 
• Snacks: I don't buy many snack foods for our regular routine at home, but I knew we would be spending a lot of time traveling or standing in lines. I wanted to be prepared with healthier snack options for my little boys to keep up moral and avoid meltdowns. What are the healthiest, portable, non-perishable snack options for little ones?
• Planning for our return: I usually pick up my raw milk, cheese, cream, and meats every two weeks. Our trip fell on my normal pick-up week, so upon our return we wouldn't have access to our normal source of real food for at least a week. Where could I find another source of raw milk in my area to fill in the gap? 

As you can imagine, it took some work thinking through all these questions. I'll tackle these in a few different posts, and today I'll focus on the search for raw milk. First, I headed to www.realmilk.com, and I looked up Florida. I learned that Florida only allows people to sell raw milk for "pet consumption only." There are many different raw milk sources listed, and they are listed by town or county. We were heading to Orlando, and then we were taking a day trip to Clearwater early in the week. I ruled out the only source in Orlando very quickly. It's a co-op that ships their food from a farm in PA every two weeks. Wow, I was shocked at the prices! I guess it is really expensive to send the food that far, and I had a new-found gratitude for my home state. I wish the sources on the real milk site were organized on a state map because I don't know Florida well, and I was trying to figure out what towns and counties were close to Orlando or our travel route. I decided to focus on Tampa because we were going to drive through. I sent an email to Sarah from the Healthy Home Economist blog, and she sent me a list of natural food stores that sell raw milk in the Tampa area. Tampa is an hour and a half away from Orlando, so I had to plan a way to keep the milk cold during the trip. A soft, collapsible cooler from Trader Joe's and a blue ice fit the bill, and I packed them in my luggage for the trip.

We flew down to Orlando on a Saturday morning, but we weren't going to be in Tampa until Monday night. My family can finish a gallon of milk in two days, so I needed a temporary solution to get us to Monday. I remembered reading that people can bring milk on an airplane if they have a small child. I bought two Thermos before the trip, and I filled them with raw milk before we left. The milk lasted until we reached Orlando, so we didn't have to get the ultra-pasteurized milk in the airport. Score 1 for planning ahead! 

On Saturday night, I shopped for groceries at Whole Food's in Orlando, and I was excited to find some non-homogenized milk from grass-fed cows. I bought enough to last us until Monday. I filled our Thermos again for our day trip to Clearwater. As we drove back through Tampa, I called the natural foods store closest to the highway to check if they had raw milk in stock. We drove 20 minutes away from the highway, and I kept trying to assure myself that all this effort was worth it. The store only had 4 half-gallons of milk, so we bought all of them. Each half gallon cost more than a whole gallon from my local farmer in PA. I don't think we could afford to buy raw milk regularly if we lived in Florida. I know they have some direct buying clubs, so maybe the milk is more affordable if you get it from the farmer. We packed the milk in our cooler and headed back to the hotel. I was so proud of myself for finding raw milk in another state.

My boys went through the first half-gallon by Wednesday. I opened the second one, and there was so much cream on top that I couldn't seem to get the milk to pour out into my son's cup. I shook the container, and then tried again. The milk seemed lumpy, but I chalked it up to cream. At dinner, my son  refused to drink the milk. I assured him it was just full of cream, but when I tasted the milk I realized there was a problem. The milk was sour. :-( I felt sick pouring the whole half-gallon down the drain. When I opened the next two, they were also sour. Ugg. Fail. Three half-gallons of milk down the drain. (ETA: Further proof of my newbie status- Sarah just posted a long list of things to do with sour raw milk. Since we were vacationing, I didn't have many options, but if I have raw milk at home, I'll know what to do now.) My friend, who was vacationing with us, graciously offered my boys her skim milk. While I appreciated the offer, skim milk was not what I was working towards. On Thursday night, I sent my husband back to Whole Food's for the non-homogenized milk.  

I called the natural foods store, and I asked for a refund. They asked if I bought from the direct buying club or if the milk was the left-overs off the shelves. Then the store employee asked me to bring the containers in.  When I explained the situation, they were willing to give me a refund over the phone. I appreciated the refund, but I was so disappointed that all the planning and extra driving had resulted in my kids drinking pasteurized skim milk. The containers didn't have a "best by" date, and my guess is that people don't buy this expensive milk in the store very often.  More reasons to buy directly from the farmer if you can. My guess is that if raw milk was legal for human consumption in Florida, they would have to print a date on the bottle. If it was legal, then I could probably have found the milk in a closer store. Oh, to have raw milk vending machines like they do in Europe! I'm going to keep looking for raw milk when we travel, but I'm going to be suspicious of containers without dates if I can't ask the farmer when the milk was produced and bottled.
When we got home, I visited my local sparkly, new Whole Food's store for the first time. I was disappointed to see that they don't carry raw milk or non-homogenized milk. I needed milk to fill in the gap until I could pick it up from my farmer. I remembered that Martindale's, my local health food store, stocks raw milk, and I was surprised how affordable it was compared to Florida. Two gallons of delicious raw milk (with dates!) from my local store made me happy to be home.

This post is linked back to Sunday School at Butter Believer.