Misstropolis

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Shop Locally, Eat Well

by Hadley Sharples Berkowitz

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Farm stand produce is one of the fleeting joys of summer — that perfect strawberry in June, the first ear of sweet corn in July and the tomatoes that you can’t get enough of in August. The fruits and vegetables stocked at supermarkets frequently pale in comparison.

While many of us have added stops at the local farm stand to our weekly food shopping, a growing number of us are taking it a step further by investing directly in the region’s farms. With mounting concern about the safety and the environmental impact of the nation’s food supply, community supported agriculture (CSA) is a movement whose time has come.

Joining a CSA means purchasing a share in a local farm for the season and, in return, receiving a weekly supply of fresh, locally grown and often organic produce. The vegetables vary from week to week depending on what is in season and can run the gamut from lettuce to beets to kale.

At the farm stand at Land’s Sake, a 15-acre community farm in the leafy suburb of Weston, Massachusetts, baskets in early August overflow with sugar snap peas, red leaf lettuce and Swiss chard; fresh cut flowers in galvanized tin pails rest under a lofty Norway maple nearby. In the parking lot, children from Boston pour out of a school bus, eager to begin their tour of the farm.

Behind the farm stand, a yellow striped tent welcomes members of its CSA. People trickle into the tent, checking a chalkboard list of vegetables, filling their bags with the week’s bounty and picking up a copy of the most recent newsletter.

“It’s great to see our members under the tent talking to each other, sharing recipes and asking us why the beets are so small,” says Joanna Flies, CSA Manager. “It’s a much nicer experience for farmers when you actually have a relationship directly with the people buying your food.”

Emily Hutchinson, a CSA member who rides her bike the almost two miles from her home each week to pick up her share, agrees. “When you go to the farm to pick up your vegetables, you get to know the other members over the course of the summer,” she says. “It’s a nice way to connect casually with people with similar interests in your community.” 

A full CSA share, which in the Boston area can cost anywhere between $450 and $750, provides the weekly vegetable needs for a family of four over the course of the growing season, from late spring into the fall. Some farms also offer half shares, and others have expanded to provide flowers, honey, fruit, meat, eggs and dairy products.

While there are more than 1,500 active CSAs across the United States, this national phenomenon’s roots are in New England. In 1985, Robyn Van En launched the first CSA in the U.S. at her farm in South Egremont, Massachusetts, borrowing a concept that had existed for decades in Japan and Europe.

A database compiled by Local Harvest, a website that acts as a clearinghouse for the ‘buy local’ movement, counts the number of CSAs in Massachusetts at 66 and growing.

“Without a doubt, we are eating many more vegetables now,” says Michael Lesser, who has been a member of various CSAs over the last 10 years and does most of the cooking for his family. His seven-year-old daughter, Emma, loves the bean burritos with sautéed yellow squash and chard that are a staple in the household. “I think I’m getting food that tastes better and fresher than anything I would find in a supermarket and I like the diversity of the produce I am getting.”

CSA members take pride in strengthening the local economy and providing farmers with a greater profit than they would receive by selling wholesale to local supermarkets. The partnership is a boon to farmers because it allows them to purchase supplies, hire labor and plan the crops for the season while being assured of a consistent market for their products.

“It’s tough to be a small farmer trying to compete with the factory farmers out west,” says Ashley Howard, who with his wife Ethel operates Heaven’s Harvest Farm in New Braintree, Mass., near the Quabbin Reservoir. Since embracing the CSA model five years ago, Heaven’s Harvest’s CSA has grown to 280 members, and the farm expects to have its most profitable year since Howard purchased the 82 acre property in 1993.

For all of the benefits of the CSA partnership, it is often the human connection to the land and to a community that people value most. “I like the idea of returning to a time when people ate only what was growing at that time of the year,” Lesser says. “The ideal is to eat what the seasons bring you.”

Note: It is too late to join most CSAs for this season, but this is peak time for buying fresh, local produce at farm stands everywhere. Check the Local Harvest website, or with the farms and CSAs directly, to see about joining for next year.

Swiss Chard and Tomatoes
Serves 6

3 tablespoons olive oil                                
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup peeled and chopped tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
2 pounds Swiss chard, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion and sauté until soft. Add tomatoes, basil, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for five minutes.
2. Add chard and simmer 15 minutes, until tender. Stir occasionally, adding water if greens start to stick to the skillet.
3. Sprinkle the tomatoes and chard with Parmesan cheese while hot. Divide into six bowls and serve immediately.

Adapted from Heaven’s Harvest Farm

Spaghetti with Balsamic Chicken and Swiss Chard
Serves 6

1 pound spaghetti
6 chicken cutlets, pounded thin
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 large bunch Swiss chard, washed, trimmed and drained
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the spaghetti according to package directions. When the spaghetti is ready, drain, reserving one cup of the pasta water, and set aside.
2. Sprinkle the chicken cutlets on both sides with Kosher salt and pepper.
3. In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Sauté the cutlets for 2 minutes on each side. Turn down heat, sprinkle the cutlets with sugar and cook for 1 minute. Splash the cutlets with vinegar and cook for an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, slice the cutlets into strips and keep warm.
4. In another skillet set over medium-high heat, sauté the garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil for 1 minute. Add the chard and the reserved pasta water. Raise the heat to high and cover the pan. When the water reaches a boil, lower the heat and cook the chard for 10 minutes. 
5. Add the drained pasta to the pan and stir it in with the garlic and chard. Place the sliced chicken on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

Adapted from “The Healthy Family Cookbook” by Hope Ricciotti, M.D. and Vincent Connelly

Photos by Hadley Sharples Berkowitz