I was like a kid in a candy store. It was awesome. Not only did I enjoy the theme, but did I mention that there were a ton of samples? Of dark chocolate?
One of the highlights for me was that we found a somewhat local farm that offers a CSA ("CSA" means community supported agriculture) for eggs and meat that is just about 5 hours from where I live in the city. Crown S Ranch is a small, family-owned farm, and I even got to chat with Jennifer, the farmer who was running the booth. What I love about them is that they are essentially a grass farm, similar to the one mentioned in The Omnivore's Dilemma (a great read if you haven't picked it up).
All of their animals are raised on certified organic pastures and the farm's website describes how each type of animal is kept. As I've learned more about food quality and sourcing, this has become really important to me. I'm happy that these animals are able to live a life that has some sense of decency, where they can experience a relatively natural life and aren't fed a diet of antibiotics, GMO corn, and animal by-products. I don't want to eat these things and I don't want my food to eat these things either.
Instead they get to eat the things that they would naturally eat, like worms and grass. They even have a chicken tractor!
We signed up a couple of months ago and they begin delivering to our neighborhood in September. We'll get one dozen eggs, one chicken, and a few pounds of beef every month or two. They offer monthly tours of the farm, so we'll plan on doing that sometime this summer. Until then, we're buying as much of our meat from local farmers markets as possible.
I really am very excited about supporting this farm. I'd love to see this become a trend in the States.
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wow, I am so happy there's a place like that around! if Darren ate meat too, it would be worth signing up for...in the meantime, I get my fix at PCC, where their stuff is about as humane as I can find.
ReplyDeleteYeah, we have some great options in our area. PCC seems to have a good relationship with many local farms, too. I love it!
ReplyDeleteHas Darren been vegan for most of his life?
He's not vegan actually, he's only vegetarian. I don't think he could give up cheese n' milk. :) he's been veggie for about 10 years now. Yesterday he did say, though, that if we traveled to south America, he may have to set his morals aside for a week, because he wont' be able to resist the way they cook meat down there, hehe.
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