I’m a farmer with a huge abundance of fresh veggies at my disposal. And one thing you might be surprised to learn about me is: I don’t can.
What do you mean? Don’t all farmers spend their summer months over a hot water bath processing dozens of jars of veggies?
Maybe many do, and I have in the past. Believe me I know what it’s like. It’s hot. It takes a big chunk of time. And over the years, I’ve found that I don’t like to do it.
Have you ever agreed to something and then realized that it involved more than you bargained for?
Well this weekend I hosted a completely new to me food class at the farm! In fact I don’t consider myself an expert at all in the topic.
Picture me Sunday morning, scrambling around in my kitchen’s sad state of wreckage, trying to pull together 7 different dips in 2 hours for the class later that afternoon. Yes, even re-washing the oily food processor multiple times!
When it comes to our diets, there is little agreement about what we should be eating. There are vegans, vegetarians, Keto-fans, and everything in between.
Then of course there's the "Kaleman Diet":
But seriously, people can get adamant about their opinions on diet! Maybe you’ve experienced this? On social media, perhaps?
C S A … What does that even stand for? That it means “Community Supported Agriculture” doesn’t really help in understanding what it actually is.
CSA is not really a universal household term. So it probably isn’t a surprise that many CSA newbies don’t really know what to expect when they start one.
This was a big question for me when I got interested in eating better during college in my early twenties. I lived in an apartment and couldn't have my own garden. Then, I learned about local food, and thought, 'Hey, I want to do that! I want to support local farmers and get fresh, healthy veggies from them.'
But, how?
Easier said than done in the slow-recovering atmosphere of Lewiston/Auburn, Maine in the early 2000's. At that time, there was a small local Farmers Market starting up and two small organic CSAs on the outskirts of town.
The first thing that we farmers do after the growing season ends is... AHHHH! We take a much-needed breath of relief and rack out to reclaim our bodies and minds from the busy, busy summer behind us.
The thing I remember most about the first time we walked on what is now our dream farm at 62 Merrills Mills Road in Dover-Foxcroft is Gene's smile after he pranced through the tall timothy and red clover in the field tucked up out of sight from the road. Hey, this beautiful eight acre field has a ton of space, he said. There's no way we'd be able to sell more veggies than that, we told each other.
