Bountiful Baskets! What a Deal!

I’m always hearing how expensive it is to buy local, farm fresh produce. Is that really true? Here’s “Part 2” of my fact finding mission!  (click here to read "Part 1")

Here’s what I did…

On September 10, 2013, I picked up my weekly delivery of local, farm fresh produce from Live Power Farm’s CSA and catalogued what was in my basket. The basket was overflowing this week with summertime treats!… There were Lambkin and Tasty Bite melons, 3 ears of corn, 2 cucumbers, 1.5# potatoes, 1 eggplant, 2 sweet peppers, 3 summer squash, 1 large head of lettuce, 6 stems of chard, 3 radishes, a small bunch of arugula, a small bunch of Asian greens (tatsoi), 2# of slicing tomatoes, 2 spicy peppers, 1 basket of cherry tomatoes, and a head of garlic. 

With this list in hand, I then headed out to our local grocery store, Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op. This store has beautiful, organic produce… though only some is LOCAL produce. Here are a few notes about my procedure: 1) I didn’t find exactly the same items at the Co-op as were in my CSA basket. For example, they did not have Lambkin or Tasty Bite melons, only Honeydew. 2) The Co-op did not have any corn on the cob or Asian greens, though they were in my Live Power CSA basket… I just estimated that 3 ears of corn would be about $1.00 on sale at a big grocery… I simply left out the Asian greens. And 3) I did my best to check for size and weight that matched up with what was in my CSA basket.

And now… check out the results of my point-in-time price comparison survey.

Fresh Produce	Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op
Lambkin melon	4.87
Tasty Bite melon	4.87
Corn	1.00*
Cucumbers	2.00
Potatoes	.65
Eggplant	2.30
Sweet peppers	1.40
Summer squash	2.00
Green Leaf lettuce	1.85
Chard	2.29
Radishes	.50
Arugula	.15
Tatsoi (Asian greens)	*
Tomatoes	8.38
Spicy peppers	.75
Cherry tomatoes	5.00
Garlic	.78
TOTAL for Live Power CSA  $22.66	TOTAL for Co-op  $38.79

I have to say that I am pleased to be eating local, farm fresh, AFFORDABLE produce from Live Power Farm’s CSA. I even saved $16.13 buying from a CSA! Plus, I enjoy knowing exactly where my food is coming from and to be in a relationship with local farmers.

Are you interested in joining a CSA? Check out the complete listing of Mendocino County CSA’s in the Local Food Guide.

Farmhouse Pasta

This rustic pasta recipe has the feel of coming directly from a kitchen garden behind your very own Tuscan Farmhouse... from your community garden plot... or from the CSA basket you just picked up from your local farmer!

It's simple... start with an olive oil sauté with onions. Add chopped greens (I used chard and beet greens), minced garlic, chopped veggies (I used snap peas), and cherry tomatoes (I used the last batch of frozen tomatoes from last year's garden). Sauté until tender, then remove from heat. Season with salt, pepper, a squeeze of lemon, and stir in chopped, fresh basil. Serve over your favorite pasta... enjoy!

Bountiful Baskets... Worth it? For Sure!

I’m always hearing how expensive it is to buy local, farm fresh produce. Is that really true? I decided go on a fact finding mission and check it out for myself! Here’s what I did…

On June 4, 2013, I picked up my weekly delivery of local, farm fresh produce from Live Power Farm’s CSA and catalogued what was in my basket. The basket was overflowing this week with springtime greens!… There was a large head of red leaf lettuce, a large head of romaine lettuce, 4 turnips w/ greens, ½ lb. snap peas, 1 large head of broccoli, 1 lb. spinach, 1 sm. bunch watercress, 1 sm. bunch arugula, 1 large baby bok choy, 1 bunch kale, 1 bunch Asian greens, and 1 bunch radishes. 

With this list in hand, I then headed out to two local grocery stores, Raley’s and Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op. Both stores have beautiful, organic produce… though it’s mostly NOT local. Here are a few notes about my procedure: 1) There weren’t always exactly the same items available. For example, the turnips that were for sale at both stores did not include the turnip greens… my CSA basket had tasty turnip greens attached. 2) The stores did not sell the interesting, tasty varieties of Asian greens that were in my Live Power CSA basket… I just found some other specialty green at each store to give an approximation. 3) Raley’s did not have every item available in their organic section, so I did the price comparison with the conventional version of those items (turnips, watercress, and bok choy). And 4) I did my best to check for size and weight that matched up with what was in my CSA basket.

And now… check out the results of my point-in-time price comparison survey.

Fresh Produce	Raley’s	Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op
Red leaf lettuce	$2.49	$1.79
Romaine lettuce	2.49	2.19
Turnips	1.69	1.20
Snap peas	3.00	2.50
Broccoli	1.50	1.00
Spinach	1.50	2.00
Watercress	.50	.80
Arugula	.50	.75
Baby bok choy	2.75	2.25
Kale	1.50	1.00
Asian greens	2.29	2.19
Radishes	1.00	1.69
TOTAL for Live Power CSA  $22.66	TOTAL for Raley’s  $21.21	TOTAL for Co-op  $19.36

I have to say that I am pleased to be eating local, farm fresh, AFFORDABLE produce from Live Power Farm’s CSA. It’s totally worth the extra $2.00 to know exactly where my food is coming from and to be in a relationship with local farmers. Also, I know that as the summer season progresses I’ll be getting WAY more produce in my basket, the tables will turn, and my CSA basket will be much more economical than retail stores.

Are you interested in joining a CSA? Check out the complete listing of Mendocino County CSA’s in the Local Food Guide.

A Thai Twist on Salad!

This week, I got a basket full of fresh produce from Live Power Farm. It included various Asian greens, mustard greens, Bok Choy, turnips, lettuce and more. I was feeling a little tired of the same ol' classic garden salad... so I dug through my recipe file and found this tasty "Tangled Thai Salad." It just needed a few adaptations to fit the fresh veggies I had on hand from my CSA basket, the farmers' market, and my garden.

Tangled Thai Salad (adapted from "Fresh Vegetarian Restaurant")
Bok Choy, chopped (about 2 cups)
Asian greens, thinly sliced (chiffonade... about 1 cup)
Mustard and turnip greens, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
Turnips, cut into small sticks (about 1 cup)
Carrot peels (long strips made by the veggie peeler... one medium carrot)
4 tbsp Peanut Lime Dressing  (recipe follows)
3 slices cucumber, halved
2 tsp chopped raw peanuts
1 lime wedge
2 to 3 tbsp chopped cilantro (from the garden!)
1. Put Bok Choy and greens in a large, shallow serving bowl (or plate). Top with turnips.
2. Pile the carrot on top and drizzle with dressing.
3. Garnish with the cucumber, peanuts, lime, and cilantro.
Peanut Lime Dressing
This dressing will keep for up to a week in the fridge. It is delicious on the Tangled Thai Salad, but would be equally good on any salad or even poured on top of cold noodles.
Makes 1 cup
3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tbsp)
2 tbsp tightly packed cilantro
2 tbsp natural peanut butter
2 tbsp + 2 tsp lime juice
1 tbsp + 1/2 tsp tamari
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp peeled and chopped ginger
2 tsp coconut milk
1 1/2 tsp organic sugar
3/4 tsp sesame oil
1/2 cup sunflower oil
1. In a blender, puree all ingredients except the sunflower oil.
2. With blender running, add sunflower oil in a thin stream until dressing is emulsified.

Strengthening CSAs in Mendocino County

A New Year brings lots of promise, and 2013 brings fantastic opportunity for Mendocino County’s farmers and the local food economy as a whole! While the soggy fields and soil rest in anticipation of a bountiful growing season ahead, new opportunities for local food farmers are stirring at West Company. In continuing efforts to build better businesses, West Company is excited to work with Mendocino County food producers through a new project funded by the USDA Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP), Strengthening CSAs by Building Capacity and Expanding Markets Project.

CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, is a farm business model based on a direct relationship between the producer and consumers. In this relationship, a community of eaters provides financial support to the farm at the beginning of the farming season and usually shares in the inherent risks of food production. The producer commits to growing or raising the food to the best of his/her ability, typically with agro-ecological farming methods. CSA is a proven business model for sustainable small- and medium-scale food agriculture.

“Strengthening CSAs” will provide a comprehensive market analysis of CSA programs in Mendocino County, support production and management ability of CSA operators, and help increase consumer participation in CSAs. Running through March 2014, the project will support jobs and increase access to healthy local foods, improving overall health of our community.

West Company has brought together an adept team to complete the project. Jen Dalton, the Market Analyst, will survey CSA operators and consumers, to develop a clear understanding of CSA consumer characteristics and barriers to CSA participation. The resulting report will be shared with project partners and inform the outreach and education components of this project. Jen is director of Kitchen Table Consulting, a Ukiah-based strategic consultancy that works with people and projects that strive to improve health, strengthen local economies and transform our food system.

The project will include a training and education course through West Company geared toward new and existing CSA operators, as well as individuals who wish to run a successful farm business. Matt Maurer, the Business Trainer, will provide business-planning support to CSA operators through individual assessments and workshop trainings. Matt helped establish his family’s pistachio farm and owns Redwood Valley Nut Company, which sells organically grown pistachios, almonds, and walnuts. Adam Gaska, the Farming Technical Assistant Consultant, will provide production-related support through individual consultations and workshops. Adam owns Mendocino Organics, a diversified vegetable and livestock operation, and has been farming in inland Mendocino County for over a decade.

Paula Manalo Gaska, the Project Organizer, will coordinate the project, supporting the training and education sessions, as well as lead a media campaign to increase community awareness of CSA. Outreach and education activities will include supporting an increase in low-income household participation in CSAs. Paula operates Mendocino Organics with her husband Adam and volunteers for The Greenhorns and the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association.

Pamela Patterson, CEO of West Company, Inc., will provide management and fiscal oversight of the project, ensuring fidelity to the project plan. Cathy Boyd, Operations Manager of West Company, Inc., will provide technical support, oversee contract deliverables, and maintain records.  

West Company and the project team look forward to collaborating with partners to strengthen food agriculture and overall community health in Mendocino County in 2013 and into the future!

Interested in becoming a CSA member?

Here are a few local CSAs to check out:

Live Power Farm

Mendocino Organics

Covelo Organic