In the Buy Local Challenge.
Four days done. Four days left. Today is Hump Day. Have you eaten a farmer produced local item these first four or five days? We have, but then as a CSA member, it is really simple to use locally sourced items every day. They come in that weekly box of goodies.
Don’t know what we are getting tomorrow, so I will wait and hit the farmer’s market on Friday to round out my menu.
I didn’t report on yesterday’s meal. A crock pot stew, made with CSA kale, fava beans, carrots, and onions, started with frozen chicken stock and finished with a TLV Tree Farm smoked ham steak, cubed. For the last hour, I added some riso.
Enough left to stuff peppers Friday for dinner.
As for today, the better half went off to Annapolis for a radio club dinner meeting. I decided, what the heck, and had one of those awesome tomato sandwiches for dinner.
Along with some greens that I bought last week from Love Dove Farms. Plus, at lunch today we had some of those juicy fresh plums from our visit to Catoctin Mountain Orchards last week.
CSA members have it easy in the Buy Local Challenge. With boxes or baskets full of vegetables and fruit, and maybe some eggs or cheese, you can eat well every single day without hitting a grocery store. Take our box from last week.
Carrots were peeled and showed up at many lunches, plus in yesterday’s dinner. Corn is gone. Two dinners. One pepper eaten. Two for our dinner this Friday. Pattypan half gone, for dinners. Green beans and chard still there. Tomatoes gone, for salads and those sandwiches.
For the next four days, there are local markets every day. Check them out. Support a farmer and buy something to take for lunches. Or, fruit for a snack.
How about dinner at Black Ankle Friday night? A unique opportunity to support a local farm (one that grows grapes), and while there, buy some local cheese for dinner.
All sorts of possibilities. Don’t give up on this challenge. And, think of ways to make it part of your entire summer.
hocofood@@@
AnnieRie Unplugged 
The CSA share from One Straw Farm this week included: fennel, red potatoes, carrots and onions (both with greens attached), kale, cabbage, garlic, and hot peppers.
Interesting article: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/howard/columbia/ph-ho-cf-farmers-markets-0725-20130723,0,7037196,full.story
Read it. I found it very interesting. Wonder how much the CSAs have hurt the markets?
In my case, since I started with the CSA, I go the farmer’s markets much less frequently. I used to manage my work schedule so that I could get to a farmer’s market during the week most weeks. However, now I almost never get further afield than MOM’s for shopping during the work week. I cook only for my husband and myself, have very limited freezer space, and don’t can, ferment, or dehydrate, so the CSA produce is nearly as much as I can keep up with. Also, on the day that I pick up my CSA food from MOM’s, I try to buy a significant amount of other items there. I’m hoping to contribute to making the store’s sales on pick-up day higher than a usual weekday, thinking that will encourage them to continue as a pick-up site. The location is very convenient for me. However, as noted in my other comments, I stick to food from MD, PA, and VA as much as I can while I’m shopping there.
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