Summer dreams

So we've signed up again with Potomac Vegetable Farms to do a summer food co-op. They are part of a growing community of farms that do cooperative sustainable agriculture (CSAs). They provide a weekly bag of organically locally grown vegetables to you for a fee that you pay early in the year. PVF does it's registration in February for the summer. You can sign-up for spring, summer, and fall seasons. They also offer eggs and flowers in addition to giving you three different size options for your basic veggie bags. We did this last summer for the first time and I'm totally hooked. What a fabulous way to support a local business and know that your food is not filled with pesticides and other chemicals. We shared our regular-sized share with a neighbor and it was awesome. We alternated weeks picking up the bags and it worked out perfectly with vacations. So we're splitting our share again this year and hoping for great gardening weather this summer!

Since doing this last summer I've also noticed myself thinking a lot more about our food choices. I'm certainly buying more organic products, but also looking for prepared foods with fewer ingredients, healthier choices, less processed ingredients (such as high fructose corn syrup) and more local products. It makes me feel better about what food we're putting on the table and into the little growing bodies of those that sit at our table. It's a choice that for us is worth the cost, for now and in the long run.