Supporting Ohio Farmers

As a general rule, Duane and I have always tried to incorporate healthy eating habits into our life. We don't typically stock up on fattening snack foods, avoid white flour at all costs, eat veggies at every meal and choose organic produce (especially the "dirty dozen"), dairy and meat whenever we can. Sure we pay more at the grocery store, but to us it's completely worth it.

In turn we also try and ensure that Emma gets a healthy, balanced diet. One of the first foods we introduced as a baby was avocado - often referred to as "one of nature's perfect foods" for it's dense nutrients and "good fat" content. I still remember when Emma was about 8 months old. We took her out to dinner at a local establishment. I pulled a half an avocado from the diaper bag and proceeded to spoon feed her bites as she clapped her hands in anticipation. A woman stopped, introduced her self as a cardiatric nurse and told me I was doing my daughter such a favor by introducing her the heart healthy food at an early age. To this day Emma eats broccoli, peas, carrots (as long as they are cooked), avocado, and green beans without a fight.

So, when my company announced a partnership with Fresh Fork Market - I was sold before I even attended the first of many informational meetings.

What is Fresh Fork? "Fresh Fork is a virtual farmers market that gets the freshest Northeast Ohio farm products to you within 24 hours of harvest."

To participate, subscribers join a Fresh Fork Sponsored CSA plan. What is a CSA? CSA or "Community Supported Agriculture is when a consumer purchases “shares” of a farm in order to get a weekly basket of in-season foods."

Sounded good to me. And an added bonus, our "baskets" would be delivered weekly right to my workplace, available for pick up Friday mornings or afternoons. After assessing the payment options and basket sizes - I signed us up for delivery of 1 Traditional Large basket starting at the end of May and lasting for 22 weeks.

Each tuesday around lunch time I get an email listing the contents of that weeks basket. This gives us a little time to plan some meals and pick up additional ingredients if necessary. Each week's bag value is about $50 and includes a combination or fruits, veggies, dairy products and meat.

All meats are 100% "pasture raised." This means that the animal is free range and on organic pasture land. Plus, no animals receive antibiotics or hormones. This is incredibly important to me - and what I look for when purchasing meat in general.

The contents vary by what is in season during that time. So early on there is a lot of lettuce, spinach, kale and other greens. Mid summer starts to bring cucumbers, zuchinni and tomatoes. Now we are getting melons, apples, peppers and cheese.

This was the loot from a few weeks back; 1 dozen eggs (from pastured raised chickens), 3 slicing tomatoes, green beens, 4 peaches, carrots, apricots, 1lb of Roasted Red Pepper Ohio City Linguini, 1 package of mild italian sausage, 6 ears of sweet corn, 1 bunch of kale, 1 red onion, 3 hungarian hot peppers, 1 stalk leeks, and 1 head of lettuce.

What I love most about this program is the fact that it forces you to explore dishes outside of your comfort zone, search out recipes using unique ingredients, and fall in love with dishes you might never have tried otherwise.

This dish has become a favorite in our household and can vary based on what veggies and/or meat you have on hand (or need to use up!). While the roasted red pepper linguini from Ohio City Pasta is amazing, our household prefers the spinach - even Emma. If our weekly CSA basket does not include any pasta we purchase it at Heinen's or The West Side Market. In a skillet toss your favorite meat/seafood with olive oil and minced garlic cloves or scapes. Cook through and remove from skillet. Add a mixture of chopped up veggies, such as: red peppers, zuchinni, yellow squash, mushroom, red onion, kale. Sautee with more garlic and a bit of salt and pepper for flavor. In the meantime boil water and cook the pasta. Once veggies are cooked to your preference, toss the meat and veggies back into the skillet for a few minutes. Serve with a little bit of parmesean cheese sprinkled on top.

Trying to incorporate more greens into our diet with out the same old boring salad can be challenging. A few weeks packages included a whole chicken which we've oven roasted. Any leftovers we have we use for yummy salad, like the one pictured above. When strawberries were in season we'd make spinach, chicken, strawberry, mandarin orange and fresh mozzerella salads tossed in a raspberry vinagrette. Yum!

Or for a southwestern twist top a mix of romaine and spinach with chicken, black beans, corn, halved cherry (or heirloom) tomaotes, red pepper, cheddar cheese and tortilla strips tossed with a tangy basil lime dressing (we bought ours at Heinen's).

Heinen's sells their whole rotiserre chicken (using antiobiotic free poultry) for a reasonable price. Often times I'll pick one up for dinner on my way home from getting Emma, serve it with a side of whole grain cous cous and steamed brocolli (by far Emma's favorite meal) and use the leftovers for salad for lunch the next few days.

This week is week 13 of the CSA and I am still so glad that we signed up. I think Emma likes it too!