By Sharon Porter
By word-of-mouth, I recently heard about a national organization known as Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). If there is one organization I'd like for people to be aware of, it would be this one! This organization's purpose is to support the organic farming industry, local farming and in return, support your well-being and overall health.
Farms associated with it are the small, independent, labor-intensive, family farms. The CSA arranges to deliver fresh produce (sometimes meat and dairy) to your door on a weekly basis. Due to the low cost of distribution, these foods tend to be competitive with conventionally grown produce. I find this to be one of the strong points in signing-up for this organization.
Sure, you can go to your nearest major grocery store and choose from a variety of produce but they all traveled miles and miles away. You can't even be sure where they traveled from! Wouldn't it be great to scan your produce and see where it was grown and how it was grown? That'll be the day. At least with CSA farms, you can be sure of the story behind what you are eating.
I am currently reading an excellent book entitled, "Animal ,Vegetable, Miracle" in which the author outlines several major grocers who control their intake of organic foods. Grocery stores control the number of times organic farms distribute their produce. There are also strict guidelines to which organic farmers must be approved for in order for their produce to be accepted to major grocers. Major grocers will not accept produce that is below a certain weight, is discolored, does not follow specific shape/size requirements, etc.
Keep in mind that even though this organic produce may have a shorter stem or is lop-sided, it still tastes the same and contains the same amount of nutrients and minerals. Major grocers control what we eat and waste food on a purely subjective basis. I can hardly walk through a produce section in a major grocer without being disgusted with their ways.
If you don't want to sign-up for this organization, at least get yourself familiar with the farmer markets in your town/city and support local farming and be pesticide-free!
For more information and other relative information, please visit my site http://www.shar-on-nutrition.com/. I'd love to know your thoughts!
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