Healthy on a Budget - Join a CSA

This summer will be our fourth year of being part of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and we have loved every minute of it! Not only do you get farm fresh organic produce, but you are supporting your local community and your local farmer. And, it is a better deal than paying Farmer's Market prices for the same produce. Of course, it all depends on the weather - some years are good and some, not so good. We have not experienced a bad year, but I have heard of some instances that were not so productive - and thankfully the members stood faithfully by their farmers knowing that they too were suffering through the bad year for crops.

What is a CSA exactly? It is when local farmers provide you with fresh produce, meat, eggs, or other items from their farm. Usually there will be a weekly designated pick-up location, day and time where you will get your items, I have heard of home delivery in some areas. Most of the time you don't get to choose exactly what you want, it all depends on what is produced that week. Be ready for some produce that you have not tried before.

There may be many CSA options in your area, or not many at all. Local Harvest is a great website to check out options nationally. If you are in Dane County, WI, MACSAC is the place to go.

How to choose a CSA? That can be a difficult question to answer. It depends on what you are looking for. Here are some things to think about/check out before making your decision.

• First off would be availability - who still has shares/subscriptions/memberships available, many start signing up members in January and some fill up quickly.
• Will you need help with figuring out what to do with unfamiliar produce? Some CSAs are primarily a "one-man-show" which will likely not be able to provide you with a ton of recipes each week. Others have a team of people helping the farmer and may provide you with lots of helpful information, such as recipes, storage tips, etc. Ask to see a sample newsletter to get an idea of what kind of information the CSA will provide you with from week to week.
• What is it that you are looking for? Mainly veggies, fruit and veggies, other options such as meat, dairy, grains, eggs, etc.? On the Local Harvest or the CSA's website you should be able to get an idea of what produce your CSA will have available throughout the season.
• How much produce can you (and your family) eat each week. Does the CSA offer a half share or an every other week share or large and small shares?
• Pick-up day, location, and time - what works best for you? Some have pick up locations only at the farm, others have several locations to choose from around the city/county, some offer Farmers Market pick-up, some even do home delivery. Make sure you will be able to commit to the weekly or bi-weekly scheduled pick-up day/time.
• Farm events - some CSAs offer various events at the farm, a farm tour, maybe a pick your own pumpkin, pesto making, herb picking, etc. Some do not, what is important to you?
• Produce dissemination method. Most that I have encountered box up the items for the week and you bring a bag to take the items home in. My favorite way to get my produce was farm stand style. The CSA team set up a farm style stand and a list of what you could take that week. A trade or take basket is also nice. If you don't want something you can leave it/trade it for something else or if you want more of something you may be able to take extra (not all CSAs have this option).
• Cost, what can you afford? Remember, you will be receiving this over the course of the growing season. Although it is a bit of upfront cost, it will essentially save you money (and your body will be healthier for it too). *Check to see if your insurance company will reimburse you for CSA memberships. So, let's see, last year my CSA cost $430 for the season (21 weeks) for half a bushel of fresh produce. That works out to be about $20/week, but if our insurance also reimbursed us, we would have only paid $11/week. Also, if you are low income, don't dismiss this as a potential opportunity to get fresh, local, organic produce. Many CSAs offer discounted programs to various income levels - don't be afraid to ask!

*In Dane County, many local insurance companies offer CSA reimbursement/rebates - some up to $200. If your insurance does not currently reimburse, contact MACSAC to see if they could help you with a letter to send to your insurance company. We currently have Blue Cross Blue Shield and MACSAC was very excited at the potential of getting such a large insurance company to participate in the rebate/reimbursement program, but because it is a large company, it takes a different process. I'm sure the more people/clients that contact BCBS in regard to CSA reimbursement, the more likely they would be to add it to their benefits.

Have you tried a CSA? If not, have you considered it or is this new to you? If you are thinking of joining for the 2012 season, start researching now!

This post is part of Simple Lives Thursday, for more great ideas about simple living, check out this link.

SHARE Wisconsin

Last month I came across a flyer for SHARE WI - a volunteer run buying club. Previously, in Denver, I had come across SHARE and tried it out and was not impressed. Although the prices were cheap, ALL of the meat was processed, and this was not clearly indicated in their flyer or on their website. I actually e-mailed them letting them know that I could buy conventional chicken (not processed) for much less than what they were charging. I never heard back from them and I never ordered from them again.

After having this experience I was curious as to what was available through SHARE WI. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the Fit and Frugal section with Organic/Natural products. And, I decided to try it this month. Yesterday I picked up my order from a local church and I must say, that I was happy with the result. If you are looking to eat natural/organic on a budget, it is definitely worth looking into. Above is what I received in my Organic Produce box. I also ordered a few of the Gerber Amish Farm chickens, despite not being organic or pastured, I decided to give it a try. Since the chicken I have been ordering from my CSA does not indicate that it is either organic or pastured, but is more expensive, I thought, why not.

For more information and to order for April, click HERE. It looks like not every state has a SHARE program, but here is a link to the few states that do.

I'm looking forward to the Black Earth Meats Ground Beef next month, three 1-lb packages for $12.95 (that's $4.31/lb). Through my CSA I pay $5.50/lb for the same thing. I buy a lot of ground beef to add to my ground venison (which is so lean, it has no fat, but it needs some fat for better flavor and texture).

Let me know if you decide to try it and what you think.

Healthy on a Budget - Meal Planning

 

One of the best ways to make sure we eat healthy meals along with saving money is planning out our meals ahead of time.  Not only does it help with the craziness of the pre-dinner hour, but at the grocery store you will know what to buy (and what not to buy).  There are many ways to plan out your meals - one week at a time, two weeks, a whole month, using the sale ads at your local stores (more money savings), freezer cooking, etc.  There are even websites specifically for meal planning; Meals Matter is free, E-mealz has a cost of about $1.25/week, Food on the Table is free and there's an app for that, Nourished Kitchen provides Real Food meal plans for about $10/month, GNOWFGLINS is another website that provides Real Food meal plans for $15/month and there are many more meal planning options out there.  In addition to meal planning websites, many blogs (including this one) share their weekly menus for you to get ideas and recipes from.

Avoiding the recommendations of having themes or a regular schedule of meals such as Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday, etc. (because I didn't want to have the same meals all the time) ended up with me spending more time than necessary on my meal plans - always searching for new recipes to try.  Finally as of 2012 I have decided to try a "schedule/themed" meal plan style in hopes of streamlining the process. According to Simplicity Parenting it is also good for the children to have some sense of "routine" - for example, "on Sundays we always have pizza for dinner." I'm even trying to plan for two weeks at a time, in hopes of saving even more money (and time with less trips to the store).  I'll let you know how it goes.  Here is my plan:

• Monday = Noodles
• Tuesday = Beans
• Wednesday = Meat
• Thursday = Rice or Salad
• Friday = Seafood
• Saturday = Soup
• Sunday = Pizza

I'm feeling pretty good about my plan, I think it will still allow me to have freedom in my planning (and our meals), but it should save me lots of time and I'm guessing money too.  Although I may end up changing my plan when summer rolls around - when I do much less cooking at the stove and more grilling.  Oh and it may look like we only eat Meat once a week, but that isn't the case, that just happens to be my chance to roast a whole chicken, grill fajitas, make a pot roast or something like that.  Breakfast isn't always as set in stone around here - it is more fluid with many things on hand and often a decision made the night before so that I can get the sourdough pancake sponge going, soaking oats  or prep a breakfast strata.  We rarely eat boxed cereal, the closest we come is homemade granola.