Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Why Yes, That Is A Garbage Bag In My Freezer

As much as I've enjoyed getting the weekly vegetable bundles from the CSA farmers, I don't think I'll be signing up again next year.

In terms of flavor and quality, it's been worth the $16 a week fee. Although I have to drive to another part of the city (approx. 12 miles each way), I've been able to work in my other errands to save on gasoline, or even do a mystery shop on the way to pay for gas. So it's not really the cost of driving that bothers me. It's the time involved. Pickup times are during the afternoon rush hour, so by the time I drive there, choose my veggies, and drive home, and hour or more of my day is gone.

Next year, I plan to take advantage of our local farmers' market on Thursday evenings. I (finally, after two years) checked it out last week and was very pleasantly surprised at how many people participate. Not everything there is organically grown. (In fact, not everything there is food; there are some crafts sold there as well.) However, the produce that is there is locally grown, looks wonderful, and seems to be selling at a slightly better price than the CSA farmers charge.

Although we don't especially enjoy gardening, Shane and I have also decided to grow a few vegetables next year. Our past attempts at gardening have been semi-successful, depending on what we planted and where we lived at the time. Next year, we're going to start small, growing only three or four things, and see how it goes.

Which explains why I have a big, suspicious-looking garbage bag in my freezer. I've been saving all our fruit and veggie scraps for compost. The compost bin is part of the current fence project that Shane's working on.

While the idea of composting isn't new to us, the practice is. Anyone have any composting tips or recommendations for a good composting book?

5 comments:

Unknown said...

I wish there was a good farmer's market near me, but we don't have anything like that.

I don't compost, I don't have the room, but my dad does. He swears by putting an old peice of carpet over the top of the compost as it rots to keep the temp stable and not adding grass cuttings unless they're in small amounts a mixed well in because they just rot into green smelly sludge.

I don't knwo if they do it in your next of the woods but in the UK Starbucks give away all their used coffee grounds for free to composters.

Unknown said...

I have no composting tips. But, last year we were working in Gettysburg, PA, and there was a farm market down just about every road. We went to a different one just about every week, and enjoyed fresh fruits and veggies every day.

This year we are working in Northern Arizona, at the Grand Canyon North Rim. There are no farm stands around here. We really miss the fresh local veggies. You are lucky to have a place to ge them.

American Dreamer said...

Annie, I love your blog!

Karen,

I am in AZ. We have Produce Markets all over Arizona. Check to see if you have one up there! They are cheap!

Donna said...

Glad your back blogging! Have missed you! You Do sound Busy Girl!! Happy day!hughugs

Bob said...

I don't compost, but I've considered it. A guy at work swears by the "Compost Tumbler". I thought about making one out of an old 55 gal plastic barrel.