Buying Local: Week 4

Once again we were out of town and missed Saturday’s market, but this should be the last time we miss it for a bit, plus our CSA share starts on Saturday!

We got back from our Memorial Day weekend trip on Monday night, so I didn’t get to go shopping until Tuesday. I stopped at Local Foods and then picked up some strawberries from the farmers market on Wednesday. Those aren’t pictured because I immediately cut them up for breakfast.

What We Bought:

• Pork Chops from Butcher & Larder in Local Foods
• Carrots from Local Foods
• Asparagus from Local Foods
• Black Raspberry Jam from Bushel & Peck’s in Beloit, WI
• Popcorn from G.H. Cretors in Waukegen, IL
• Honey from Ames Farms in Delano, MN
• Strawberries from Nichol’s Farm in Marengo, IL

What We Learned:

• Buying less processed milk lasts longer. I bought milk last Monday and its sell by date is not until June 6th.
• Real strawberries are much tinier than your typical strawberries on steroids that you get at a standard grocery store, but they taste SO MUCH BETTER!
• I have to do a lot of separate trips for our food instead of doing just one run every week. Sometimes Local Foods does not have what I need and Mariano’s does, or I would rather get produce at the farmers market.

Buying Local: Week 3

With both of us not being around the prior weekend, we missed the farmers market for the second time in a row.

K stopped at Local Foods in the beginning of the week to pick us up some ingredients for dinner, but I then supplemented the rest with a trip to Mariano’s.

We get to pick up our first CSA share with Nichol’s Farm next Saturday, so naturally, we are super excited to see what we will get!

What We Bought:

• Strawberries from Local Foods
• Chicken breast from Butcher & Larder at Local Foods
• Bread from Chicago, IL
• Salad mix from Bright Farms in Rochelle, IL
• Oberweis milk and ice cream from family farms around IL and WI
• Greenridge Farm lunchmeat from Elk Grove Village, IL
• Giovanni Rana pasta from Bartlett, IL
• English muffins supposedly from Milwaukee, WI, but I need to do some research into that one
• Sweet potato from somewhere probably not nearby

What We Learned:

• I miss my daily banana. My fruit bowl is so empty.
• The amount in our recycling bin has been decreasing because we aren’t buying as may products in plastic and cardboard.
• Some challenges may be coming up, such as with baking goods like sugar and chocolate chips.
• Returning the glass Oberweis bottle to the grocery store earns you $1.50 back

 

Sad, empty fruit bowl waiting for the season’s first strawberries!

 

 

Day of Firsts: Spring & Seedlings

Happy first day of spring!

Our baby herbs are now just over one week old and sprouting like crazy.

The basil, chives, and microgreens have all sprouted and we are waiting on the spinach and mint to make their first appearance.

Starting to Sow: An Apartment Herb Garden

We are finally sick of buying copious amounts of cilantro and basil to never use it all. So we decided to start growing our own.

I have a history of killing plants, so I am a bit concerned about how this will end up. Below is the photographic evidence of 2 of my plants that had untimely deaths. Rest in peace, my sweet plants.

Rest In Peace Valentines Roses 2012-2012

Rest In Peace Pokey 2013-2016

Since this is our first attempt at growing our own food for consumption, we decided to take a cautious approach and not get too crazy about it. We bought a little greenhouse that will grow 36 plants (we made the assumption that some would not survive). After joking that we were going to grow corn and watermelons in our tiny apartment, we settled on the herbs and vegetables below.

• 2 types of basil
• Microgreens
• Chives
• Spearmint
• Spinach

We sowed 2-3 seeds in each peat pellet, with each herb getting its own row.

Day 1, 3/12/17

Now we have to wait until the seeds sprout. Then, we remove the dome and place the seedlings in a sunny spot. Once we have full leaves, we will transplant our little babies into some bigger pots.

Stay tuned!

 

Can’t Wait for Our CSA Share

Can we just put a CSA share on our wedding registry? Is that not normal?

Either way, I am beyond excited to purchase our first CSA share for this summer.

For those of you that don’t know, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is:

…a food subscription service that allows you to purchase locally and seasonally as part of a farm share. It is a great way to support local farmers. –FamilyFarmed.org

Basically each week (or every other week depending on your share), you pick up your CSA box (or you can have it delivered) that is filled with in-season produce from a local farm.

Whatever you get in your box depends on what is ripe and ready on the farm.

We already know that I am a nerd for maps, but I am also a nerd for Excel spreadsheets. So much so that I set up a spreadsheet to help decide which CSA we should pick for this summer.

The factors that are going to go into our decision include:

• Price
• Time frame (how many weeks?)
• Add-ons (can we add fruit or eggs?)
• Pick up location (can we walk there?)

While there are many CSA options throughout the city, we are limiting our scope to ones that we can pick up from the nearby Green City Market.

A CSA may seem expensive up front, but when you spread it out over the course of 22 weeks, it is really not that bad. Plus, you know exactly where your food is coming from and create a connection with that farmer.

CSA Resources:

• http://www.familyfarmed.org/find-a-chicago-area-csa/
• http://www.findmycsafarm.com/chicago
• http://chicago.cbslocal.com/top-lists/best-farm-shares-in-the-chicago-area/