Spring is here in Philadelphia, despite those random snow showers happening elsewhere in the country. We’ve got nothin’ but April showers and blue skies in between. The trees are in bloom, there are daffodils and tulips galore, and miraculously I am not suffering from incapacitating allergies for the first time in four years. I attribute this to the lack of stress in my life right now, despite being unemployed and trying to flesh out my first business plan. I am also eating an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables, and dabbling in juicing thanks to some inspiration from Raw Epicurean. The change in seasons also means a shift in energies and the body responds to these changes by flushing out accumulated toxins; this is why many people experience colds with changes in the weather. Thanks to modern medicine we have numerous anti-histamines to choose from that keep the body from dispelling mucous to rid itself of toxins. Whether or not you choose to suppress symptoms of the common cold or you decide to deal with it naturally, boosting your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables also helps to flush and replenish the body by removing free radicals and supplying an abundance of vitamins and minerals. My source of fresh fruits and veggies varies, but over the past few years I have been eating an increasingly “seasonal” diet and trying to support the local Clark Park Farmers’ Market (which really takes any need to plan a grocery list out of the equation). This year I also looked into joining a CSA, though I’ve decided to stick to the farmer’s market and add my name to the waiting list at the local food co-op for now.

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, where a mutual beneficial relationship exists between a community and a local area farm to support one-another. CSA members commit to purchasing a share which in turn sustains the local farm who raises and harvests the food. In Philadelphia there are numerous CSA options, all for around $35 per week ($700-800 a summer for weekly shares and $300-400 for bi-weekly shares). Your weekly share will generally include an assortment of 4-7 fruits and veggies, a choice of locally produced cheese, eggs or other dairy product, and a locally raised/ produced meat or pasta. You can count on variety like kale, beets, lettuce, spinach, onions, swiss chard, leeks, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, basil, garlic, peas, peaches, apples, berries, squash, corn, watermelon, artisan breads, pasta, tofu, meats, cheeses, yogurt, butter, milk and more. Often times recipes are included with your pick-up or are published online to give you an idea of what to do with some of the less common items you may receive. The main reason I decided to stick with the farmers’ market for now is because I can walk to it from my house, whereas I would have to hop on the subway to get to any of the pick-up places for CSAs, and all the items typically found in a CSA share are available every Saturday year-round at the Clark Park Farmers’ Market. I figure for $35 a week, why not support the closest option?

So why Community Supported Agriculture and Farmers’ Markets? The majority of food at the local supermarket is trucked in from all over the country; fruits from Florida and South America, greens and veggies from California, grains, dairy and meats from the mid-west. All this trucking and outsourced growing consumes huge amounts of energy and resources, from the gasoline burned on the trek across the U.S. and to keep the items cool, to the water required for irrigation that drains the local water table. And then when it gets to the supermarket more water is used to keep the greens looking fresh, and more energy is used to heat, cool, and light everything on display. Locally sourced foods support the local economy, consume less gas to truck into the city, and are significantly fresher than foods that have sat on trucks and then on shelves which means more nutrients delivered to your body. They also serve to deepen the understanding of our interdependence on one-another and the land for our sustenance. For those of you who choose organic foods I challenge you to think about why organic is important. Sure it means pesticide and chemical-free, but the whole practice of organic farming is based on principles of health, ecology, fairness and care and extends beyond our own wellness to that of the environment and the community as well. These principles are hard to sustain when the goods are mass-produced hundreds of miles away from the end-user. There are many organic options available locally and I encourage you to look harder at where the items in your pantry come from and try to choose local options as much as possible.

Whether you are still unsure about this idea of supporting locally sourced food or are ready to take the plunge, I encourage you to do your research and check out the variety of options available to you before making a choice. I have provided links to Philadelphia’s Farmers’ Markets and CSAs at the bottom of this entry. It is also important to consider your cooking and eating habits when trying to decide what option is right for you; do you stock up on produce and then become disinterested halfway through your week’s supply? Do you eat out or order in a few times a week? Are you a finicky eater or afraid to try new things? If you answered “yes” to just one of those questions then going to the farmers’ market will give you the leeway to pick and choose items and quantities you know you’ll use, or if you’re a little more adventurous try a “half-share” CSA option. Happy eating!

Farmers’ Market Resources:

Reading Terminal Market Farmstands

Clark Park Farmer’s Market

Farm To City list of Farmer’s Markets

CSA Resources:

Greensgrow Farms

Red Hill Farm

Scarecrow Hill Community Farm

Somerton Tanks Farm

Farm To City list of CSAs

Please post additional resources I may have missed in the comments section.