We’ve got this crazy idea that we want to know where our food comes from.
It’s odd for me to think that oranges grow in my backyard but an orange I buy at Vons probably comes from Australia. Walking through your grocery store there are literally foods from every corner of the globe.
Supporting local agriculture
Not only do we like knowing where our food comes from, we’d prefer if it came to us locally. Of course, a growing chunk of our produce is coming from our own backyard. But as we learn how to do that (and time that) we’ve depended on the CSA (community supported agriculture) of JR Organics in Escondido. They help us city dwellers maintain a connection with farmers in the country.
Since January, our family has gone over to the North Park Farmers Market each Thursday to pick up our box of produce from the farm. I don’t get to go very often, but when I do Megan dutifully leads me through the various vendors to “our table” where a member of the Rodriguez family takes our recyclable box and hands us a new one full of fresh fruit and veggies.
Yes, we probably pay a little more per item than we would at the grocery store. But we know where the food comes from and we know that the money we pay goes directly to the farmer… no middle man. No corporation. No buyer. No warehouse. Stuff in our box Thursday was likely picked Tuesday or Wednesday. You can taste the difference.
The Tour
As the pictures show, we went on a tour yesterday. The kids started off with high expectations and were let down that it wasn’t as much fun as Sea World from the time we left the car. But as you can see as the tour goes on, they get more and more excited. I loved watching from a field away (they had an adult tour and a kids tour) our kids running up and down the hills as they explored and learned about farming. At the end of the tour the family rolled out the red carpet and fed us a fabulous lunch of fresh stuff from the farm. Soups, salads, juices, roasted veggies, chicken, and an amazing dessert.
The tour provided a rich afternoon of learning and connection to the farm. As we drove away Kristen and I just couldn’t stop talking about how nice everyone was, how cool the farm was, and how excited we are to see more than 100 people show up for the tour. (It sold out!)
Find a CSA
If you live in San Diego county and are looking for a CSA, I highly recommend JR Organics. They aren’t the cheapest option out there, but they are fantastic.
Believe it or not, CSAs exist all over the place. If you’re ready to give it a try, check out this link to find one in your area.
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