CSAs: Community Supported Agriculture

Community Supported Agriculture.

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  On several occasions, I've written about fresh produce, buying organic, and how to make organic food more affordable. We all are aware that fresh fruit and veggies aren't cheap.

  On the whole, quality -- 'healthy' -- foods are more expensive than prepackaged, processed foods. That's our food system right now. That's our reality.

  If we want to eat well, making a financial commitment is a necessity. You get what you pay for, and investing in our health is a smart one. Though it does seem public opinion, or the consumer, is slowly winning out. Prices are becoming more competitive. Just not as quickly as we'd like.

  But there are ways to get more out of our precious dollars. One of those ways is to join a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.

What Are CSAs?
  Joining a CSA is essentially investing in one of your local farms. You buy a 'share' before the growing season begins. And then throughout the season, you'll receive a box of fresh, locally grown, and quite often, organic, produce provided to you on a regular basis.

  Since you're getting your fruit and vegetables directly from the farmer, often times you're getting fresher, but cheaper produce. CSAs cut out the middle man.

  All CSA programs function a little differently: cost, delivery (method and frequency), crops, length of season, and how many people one share feeds, vary from program to program. But surely there is one that can meet you and your family's needs. No matter where you live, for example even in the heart of New York City, there are CSAs available to join!

Luscher Farms in Lake Oswego provides a CSA in my hometown.

  LocalHarvest.org has even more information about CSAs, and can help you locate a program near you. 

Expand Your Horizons
  Depending on where you live, crops will vary from place to place. For the most part, you'll get the staple foods, produce you're familiar with. But chances are you’ll also get some veggies you haven’t tried before. Week in and week out, your box of produce will be a surprise of sorts. You never know exactly what you're going to get! Don't worry however, as many programs include recipes to help you cook up the harvest.

  Some CSAs allow for a more hands-on experience. You can join a CSA that allows volunteers to help at the farm. If you have the time and interest, volunteering allows for a little appreciation and investment of a different kind! And I'm sure you'll learn a little something too.

Potential Draw Backs 
  Depending on your family's needs, for example, what you like to eat, and how much produce you go through on a weekly basis, you may or may not have to supplement extra produce with trips to the grocery store. I think it's best to expect that you will not get all of your produce needs taken care of with a share at a CSA. But it's not like you don't make frequent trips to the store anyway!

Map of potential CSAs in the US.

  The main draw back of a CSA is that you have to purchase your shares upfront (Shares usually cost between $400 and $600. Though some CSAs allow you to purchase 1/2 shares.). So at the time, it may not seem like it's a cost-effective way to get your fresh produce.

  (If the price sounds like something you can't do upfront, check with the CSA you're interested in, they may have a solution.)

  The money upfront is a necessity for the farm. CSA programs help farmers at the beginning of the season, when it's needed most, and sees them through the rest of the growing season.

  Unless you're a master budgeteer, it's difficult to estimate just how much you spend on produce on a weekly or monthly basis. If joining a CSA sounds like a good option for you and your family, check a local program out!

  Spring has already snuck up on us way too fast (though who's complaining?), and summer will be here before we know it. The time is now to start exploring seasonal CSAs to join! Have you ever joined a CSA? What was your experience like?

  Below you'll find links to CSA tips, and good questions to pose to the CSA you are thinking about joining. Let me know your thoughts and experiences!

LINKS:

Local Harvest: CSAs

Questions Before Selecting Your CSA 

CSA Tips 

Eat Well Guide: Finding Sustainable Food Near You

Rodale: CSAs

RELATED POSTS:
The Farm Bill
Making Organics More Affordable
Supermarket Sweep
Which is Healthier, Organic or Conventional Produce?
Clean 15/Dirty Dozen Rundown
Clean Produce: Pesticide Removal

NYC -- As a Tourist

Brooklyn.

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  You have five days in New York City. It's your first visit. What do you do?

  I probably should have given that question a bit more thought before I boarded my flight for Newark this August. As it was, I can't say I prepared for my tour of NYC very well. But I knew I'd find my way. And I figured, whatever I did, it would be nothing short of amazing.

  So I hardly had an itinerary. Instead I had a rough list in my head of things I wanted to see. But really, I had no game plan set for when
I arrived in the Big Apple.

The High Line.

  First and foremost, I wanted to get a lay of the land. So I took to the streets on foot. Once I understood where I was, and started to see where some of the attractions were, I was surprised by how close everything seemed to be. I knew Manhattan was not a large island, but I guess I had to see it to believe it.

  So what did I do? Here's a quick run down of the highlights: 

My Favorites:

- the High Line: It's a former elevated railroad line that has been transformed into an elevated park on the Lower West Side. The park runs for over a mile, and allows you to quickly get away from the traffic and clutter of the streets below. After walking the park, I stood and watched commercial being shot from above.

East Side Waterfront. Had to stop mid-run for a picture.

- East Side Waterfront: After a long afternoon of sightseeing, I really wanted to get a run in before dark. So I joined in what seemed to be hundreds of New Yorkers who had the same idea. It was quite refreshing seeing so many people out, enjoying a late-summer evening run. It was a beautiful run along the water, with views of Brooklyn and the bridges in the distance. 

The Bronx: New Yankee Stadium.

- Baseball game at Yankee Stadium: The Yanks had an afternoon game versus the Orioles (perfect, given the playoff match-up we're watching this week!). Since I didn't want to spend three-plus hours watching baseball, I hadn't necessarily planned on actually attending the game. But given the drizzly weather, it turned out to be a perfect activity for me.

  It wasn't raining hard enough to postpone the game, but it definitely wasn't weather I would have been out sight-seeing in! So I sat under the cover and watched Jeter, Cano, Ichiro, and the rest of the Yankees beat Baltimore.

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir.

Views of the city from inside Central Park.

- Central Park: I visited Central Park numerous times during my five days in Manhattan. Twice as a runner, and a couple other times just enjoying the paths. Any runner who visits NYC has to go for a run in Central Park. Since it was hot and humid August, I planned one run for the morning. Unfortunately, I had to take a short subway ride to the park entrance.

  After an exhausting run, that found me dripping with sweat, I had to get back on the subway to get home. I don't think I've ever sweat so much in my life. I tried not to touch anything, or drip on anything (or anyone!), as morning commuters stared at the sweat pouring off my head. It was then I realized I probably should have finished my run towards home.

  I found the park to be a refuge among the madness. Where you're able to find a little peace and quiet in the everyday hustle and bustle. If I lived in NYC, I think I would spend a lot of time in Central Park. It's a pretty amazing space, with baseball fields, open grassy fields, a swimming pool, a reservoir, a zoo, and quiet. I think you could visit it everyday for two weeks, and never repeat you're route.

- Grimaldi's Pizza: The famous pizzeria had a lunch-time lineup outside its door 10-15 people deep. I was hungry, hot, and tired. So I kept walking. But then I thought to myself, 'this might be your only time in Brooklyn, you have do this!' So I got in line and waited.

  Close to 40 minutes later, I found myself seated at the bar looking at the menu. To my dismay, the menu clearly said 'no orders by the slice'. So I was forced to order an entire pizza, for myself! Luckily, I could take the rest to go.

Brooklyn Bridge & Manhattan from Brooklyn.

  The pizza was delicious. And worth the wait! The staff was incredibly friendly, and I enjoyed every bit of my experience at Grimaldi's.

  After I finished my two slices, I packed the rest in my bag, and made my way to the Brooklyn Bridge (nothing like walking across the Brooklyn Bridge with 3/4s of a pizza in your bag on a 90 degree day!!).

On the Brooklyn side of the bridge.

- Brooklyn Bridge: I took the subway from Manhattan into Brooklyn. My plan was to spend some time in Brooklyn Heights, have a delicious lunch, and then walk the bridge back into Manhattan. It was perfect.

  I loved the views from Brooklyn, and then again, the views from the Brooklyn Bridge. There is a pedestrian/cycling walkway in the center of the suspension bridge that is above the traffic below. While you do have to be on the lookout for cyclists whizzing be, it's nice not to have to worry about cars as you make your way across the bridge. While simple, it was one of my favorite activities while in New York.

- Statue of Liberty: Like Central Park, you can't visit NYC, and NOT take a trip to Liberty Island. It was one of the few 'tourist' things I planned on doing. But it was here where I got my fill of frustration with tourists as well.

I made it off the ferry, & loved seeing Lady Liberty!

  To board the ferry for Liberty Island you first have to wait in a tremendously long line, and go through airport-like security. While waiting in line (again, in the heat and humidity), one pushy tourist, with a stroller, took things a little too far.

  If I wasn't at the end of my rope by his constantly running into the back of my legs (with his stroller), I definitely hit my limit when he ran over the toes of my white shoes (several times) on purpose, while looking directly in my eyes. It's as though he thought by getting past me, he would somehow move to the front of the endless line.

  The second now-comical event with a fellow tourist took place on the ferry. I don't quite know how to describe this encounter, other than saying a French girl sat ON ME. And didn't move for several minutes. I was not happy. I think I'll just leave it at that. :)

  I loved seeing the Statue of Liberty up close and personal. But the trip took a lot longer than I had expected. So unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for me, given my first two tourist stories) I had to cut out the stop at Ellis Island.

Other Sites I Visited:
-Empire State Building
-Walked 5th Ave.

Looking up the Empire State Building.

-Flatiron District
-West Side Waterfront
-W. 4th Street Courts
-Battery Park: the Southernmost tip of Manhattan, with views of the Statue of Liberty.
-Grand Central Station
-FAO Schwartz and the BIG Piano
-Radio City Music Hall
-NikeTown
-Times Square
-Ground Zero Memorial
-Union Station: a little quirky. Reminded me of downtown Portland. 
-Madison Square Garden: Would love to take in a game there one day!
-Baked by Melissa: bite-sized cupcakes that are to die for. Near Grand Central.
-Lexington Ave. Street Market

World Trade Center Memorial.

  And no, I didn't go to a Broadway show. So sue me. :)

  I wish I could have visited everything. But you only have so much time, and so much patience as a tourist. Not to mention everything costs money! So you have to put a value on things. What are the places you MOST want to see up close and personal?

Next Time

  Of course, there are several places I wish I could have explored a little further, but only got a chance to do a 'fly-by' this time around.

    Had I planned a little more in advance, maybe I would have jumped on a tour, or researched seeing a show or two. Guess that will have to wait til my next visit.

The streets.

  Now that I've visited NYC, I find myself watching the background of TV shows filmed in Manhattan, looking for sights and streets I recognize from my short time there. It's fun trying to picture that place on the map, or remember what I did or saw when I was in that very spot.

  But I had a good enough time taking in the handful of sites I did see, and experiencing the atmosphere of NYC to garner a return trip. Hopefully to be made sometime in the near future!

  In the meantime, maybe YOU should tell me the things I missed!

RELATED POSTS:

NYC -- The Prelude

NYC -- New York in the Flesh

NYC -- New York in the Flesh

Times Square: along with hoards of other tourists!

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  From the second I stepped foot onto Manhattan soil, one thing was glaringly obvious: New Yorkers are a different breed.

  I took a weekday red-eye from Portland to Newark. And after relatively painless flight and an easy bus ride out of New Jersey, I arrived into Manhattan before the workday had even begun. With the hustle and bustle surrounding me, I did my best to gather my bearings, and figure out which way was up (or in this case, which way was towards Lexington Ave).

  It was the epitome of being a small fish in an enormous pond. Nevertheless, I found my way.

Navigating the Big Apple

Cab line-up at Grand Central.

  Manhattan is incredibly easy to navigate and maneuver around. All you have to do is pay a little attention, and know how to count. 'Avenues' run north and south, while the numbered 'Streets' run east and west. 5th Ave. separates the east and west side. There's one little caveat, once you reach lower Manhattan, the easy-navigable grid system goes out the window. But really, there's no excuse for getting lost (for too long anyway) in NYC. 

  Right off the bat, New Yorkers pay zero attention to what the crosswalk light says. 'Walk' or 'Don't Walk', if there's even a slight opening in traffic, they're across the street. When there were cars and cabs whizzing by every which way, I thought they were crazy -- standing two to three feet off the curb, so they could get a good jump. But I guess that's just their norm, and what they're used to. By my second day in the city, I was following suit.

  My mode of transportation while visiting NYC was how New Yorkers get around each and every day: on foot, or on the subway. It was refreshing not to rely on a car to get around town. Though the hot, humid summer days had me sweating barely five steps out the door!

  I've always thought the best way to explore a city, and to get to know a new city, is by walking it. So what did I do? I walked over 34,000 steps on my first day in the city (so says my Nike FuelBand). And I bought a seven day unlimited trips MetroCard for $30 that I put to good use during my five day stay in Manhattan.

  Subway trips are interesting. And during high volume traffic times, they can be a bit uncomfortable. So many people, so little space. I found that most New Yorkers opt to stay in their own little worlds during their commutes: either by reading, listening to music, catching a few extra minutes of sleep, or on their phones (or sometimes, all of the above).

Thought I was doing something wrong: An empty subway car??

Grand Central Terminal

  That's another way New Yorkers are different: though they encounter thousands of people on a daily basis, there is zero interaction between them. Both on the subway and in the streets. I found it to be very disconnected. Not that I chat up every Joe Schmo I pass by either. But I've grown accustomed to occasionally saying hello, making eye contact, or exchanging a nod or a smile with people I encounter in Portland. (Portland can't be the only city that does this.)

  To be fair, when you encounter thousands of unknown faces day after day, I suppose you're bound to start ignoring them fairly quickly.

Day-to-Day Life
  Everyday living in Manhattan also seemed like something that would need some getting used-to.

  I made the mistake of stopping in at the Trader Joe's near Union Square at 5:30pm on a weekday. Mass chaos is an understatement. There were easily 15-20 checkout stands open, and two lines still wound around the entire store. I realized my error in timing, and actually had thoughts of putting my basket down and walking out of the store. But I needed some groceries, so I gave it a shot.

  To my surprise, it was well-organized, and went fairly quickly. And it would have to be. I can't imagine New Yorkers putting up with an inept system that took too long, or was too inconvenient. The really smart shoppers got in line immediately, and did their shopping as the line wound throughout the store. They were obviously longtime Trader Joe's vets.

  For me, grocery shopping would be a big stumbling block. You could never buy too much at once because you still have to get it home! I'm sure there's a way around this problem that has already been solved: perhaps online shopping and delivery is the norm?

Flatiron District.

  With space at a premium, apartments have the bare bones. You learn to live with what you need, not necessarily what you want. Kitchen amenities, laundry facilities, outdoor living spaces, etc; unless you have a money tree, chances are there will be something you'll have to go without.

  Finally, dealing with the influx of tourists day after day has got to be tiresome. What part of Manhattan isn't 'touristy', anyway?

Brooklyn Heights

  While it would take me some getting used to, I actually think New York-living is something to be admired: public transport, modest living conditions, living off of need, not want.

  Five days is hardly enough time to know what it's like to actually live in a city. Even though the pace, and the number of people wore me out after just a few days, I found New York City to be spectacular.

  And while living there might be biting off a little too much for me to chew, I would love to spend more time exploring and getting to know NYC!

RELATED POSTS:

NYC -- The Prelude

Statue of Liberty ferry.

Busy Mid-Town streets.

More Mid-Town.

Radio City Music Hall

Flatiron Building.

Hudson River. Looking at New Jersey.

Statue of Liberty from Battery Park.

Central Park.

NYC -- The Prelude

Manhattan from the Brooklyn Bridge.

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  New York City is one of the few cities in the world that intimidated me. Without ever having visited, just the thought of NYC, while exciting me, also had me a little concerned

  And I've done my fair share of traveling.

  I've been all over Europe as a solo traveler (for the most part), and never thought twice about it. But just thinking about exploring the streets of NYC, made me a little uncomfortable.

  Before I got there, that is.

The Big Bad City

West Side -- Hoboken behind.

  Many times, that's the way it's portrayed in movies -- as the big, bad city-- isn't it? And all the things you hear or read about NYC aren't exactly favorable, are they? Once I got my feet wet, and learned the lay of the land (which didn't take long), I was comfortable. Those feelings of intimidation were ill-found. Maybe that was naive of me, but I felt 100% at ease in my surroundings.

  As a West-Coaster, NYC is a tough place to get to. And as someone who frequently is on trans-continental flights, once you reach your destination, you hardly want to jump on another plane going halfway back in the wrong direction. So other than a quick layover in the airport, I had never set foot on New York ground.

  I knew I would get there sooner or later.

  New York has too many things to offer for me not to see them. And I have friends in the area. So it was only a matter of time.

East Side run. Under the Williamsburg Bridge.

Holiday Fairy Tale
  Whenever I pictured myself visiting New York, it was always during the Holiday season. I don't know, there's something about the mystique of the lights, the cold, crisp air, and the holiday spirit that made me want to experience the Big Apple around New Year's. Maybe that's a fairy tale due to the scenes and images we get in the media so frequently, but that's the idea I had in my head.

  But the timing has never been right. December isn't exactly the time of year that allows me to take a vacation for travel.

  From the time I was a kid, the Holiday Season was smack-dab in the middle of my basketball season. So I will have to wait until my playing days are over to see whether NYC under the holiday lights can live up to the hype.

Statue of Liberty tour.

  Lucky for me though, I had an opportunity to visit the Big Apple this August. The proverbial kill two birds with one stone scenario had arisen (or in this case, three or four birds): visit New York City, meet and visit with friends, and attend a charity event (to be blogged about soon!).

  I had a fabulous time, and thoroughly enjoyed every bit of what NYC had to offer for five days.

  Needless to say, there were friends I didn't get to see, sights I didn't get to visit, and experiences I didn't get to have, so a return trip to NYC is in order. Hopefully sooner rather than later!

  Next time around, I'll blog about the day-to-day things I observed about New Yorkers, and living in the busy city!

A few teasers...

Times Square.

Yankee Stadium!

Central Park.

Grimaldi's Pizza in Brooklyn.

The High Line.

The BIG Piano.

Lexington Ave. Market.