With July coming to a close, my internship with the Tempe CSA will be finished and I will no longer be posting blogs. I have learned so much about how to prepare all of the new foods that I have encountered, and also learned a lot about the importance of eating local food. There are a number of benefits that come with organizations like the Tempe CSA for the community, plus the food is much healthier to eat than food from a regular grocery store. This week, we had much of the same food that we had in previous weeks. While some of our members seem to be getting tired of some of the options, everyone is still very excited about all of the tomatoes that we have been receiving! The cherry tomatoes were extremely delicious, and I've found myself eating them by the basketful multiple times over the past few weeks.
I will miss getting to try all of the new food that I have been introduced to through this internship, and I will also miss getting to know the members that come in each week and learning about them and their interest in sustainable food!
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Last Day At the Tempe CSA
Labels:
cherry tomatoes,
crooked sky farms,
csa,
food,
fresh food,
local food,
tempe,
tempe csa,
tempecsa,
tomatillo,
tomatillos,
tomatoes
Location:
Tempe, AZ, USA
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Multi-Colored Cherry Tomatoes and Sweet Potatoes!
cherry tomatoes |
Also, this week I was very excited to see that we had green beans available for the first time that I have been working with the Tempe CSA. These were really tasty, as most of the vegetables that we receive are, and I am hoping that we get another share of them next week! We also received some sweet potatoes this week, and I am not sure what the best way to cook them is yet. I look forward to hearing the different ways that our members used them over the past week when they come in tomorrow because they are always giving me great ideas! They are here pictured to the right. I am assuming that they can be cooked in the same way that regular potatoes are cooked, but I hope there are some creative ideas that our members have come up with that I can use to cook mine. I look forward to using some of mine to make sweet potato fries! Please feel free to comment about any good recipes that you came up with this week for your food, or to ask any questions to other members!
Labels:
cherry tomatoes,
community,
community sustained agriculture,
fresh food,
organic,
sustainability,
sweet potatoes,
tempe,
tempe csa,
tempecsa,
vegetables
Location:
Tempe, AZ, USA
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Purslane and Tomatillos This Week!
We've had a few new and interesting options in the two weeks since the new season started, and I'd like to take the time to talk about them because there were a lot of members that had not heard of them before! We have a much smaller turn out this season than we did last season due to many of our members traveling for the summer or moving, but all of the new selections that we have had this summer have made our returning members very excited! First, we have purslane pictured on the right. It is considered to be a weed, and this was the question of many of the members that came through the CSA on Thursday. The whole plant is edible in its entirety, and it can be used for many different culinary options. As many members who already knew about purslane mentioned, it is a great leafy vegetable to cut up and add to a raw salad. Other uses include adding it to a stir fry or a soup for some extra flavor. Last, it is similar to spinach so it can also be cooked this way for those who enjoy the taste! It can be found in many countries all over the world, and it has more of a sour or salty taste so it can be coupled with many different foods! I enjoyed it so much that I started eating it raw while I was finishing up the day at the Tempe CSA last Thursday, and I am hopeful that we are able to get some more this week!
The next new option that we received last week were tomatillos, pictured on the left. There were some members that were very excited about this selection and some that had never heard of it before. I was in the latter category, so I decided to do some research to find out about them! They were first grown in Mexico and are often found in different Mexican dishes, especially in green sauce, but now they are grown throughout the Western Hemisphere. The fruit has a husk that it grows inside, and at full maturity they reach a bright green color. They have a tart or sour taste, so many people do not enjoy eating them raw and would rather roast them or mix them in with vegetables and spices. I have yet to try mine, but I will probably use it to make a salsa with some chopped tomatoes, onions, garlic, and jalepeno! I look forward to hearing what some of our members have chosen to do with their share in the past week so that I can pass that information along to those who have not yet figured out a good way to use them!
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Information about the Tempe CSA!
Benefits of the Tempe CSA:
- Eliminates many greenhouse gases
- Food is 100% organic
- Food is naturally grown
- Food is pesticide free
- Organic farming eliminates pesticide use, agricultural runoff, and produces healthier food
- Local farmers receive a living wage and the community is involved
- Members are exposed to new types and varieties of produce
- Shopping is reduced
Tempe CSA Mission
- “To bring the freshest local, 100% naturally grown produce and products directly to you… with a smile”
- The Tempe CSA is involved with the community through its work with volunteers and interns as well as its goal to bring local, natural, and organic produce to the residents of Tempe.
Tempe CSA History
- Established in June of 2007
- Founder: Andrew Greaves and The Society for Sensible Sustainable Safe Energy at Arizona State University
- Influenced by the sustainability efforts at UC San Diego
- Current coordinator: Mateo Montano
Labels:
community sustained agriculture,
crooked sky farms,
csa,
local,
local food,
organic,
sustainability,
tempe,
tempe csa,
tempecsa
Location:
Tempe, AZ
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