The Laughing Stalk

I went to one of my favorite Co-op's yesterday.  The Seward Coop in Minneapolis.  They happened to be having a CSA fair showcasing the multitude of Community Supported Agriculture farms in and around the Twin Cities.  A CSA is a local farm that typically grows and sells, in shares, produce to people like me on a weekly basis.  I have often thought about doing a CSA, I love the idea of supporting local farms and produce, but I've been intimidated a bit prior to now.


Usually, with a CSA, you sign up for a summer's worth of vegies, and it comes delivered in a box once a week.  I have taken shares for friends when they were on vacation - it's great, except that often the box is full of greens I'm not sure what to do with and the pressure is on to get them cooked before they go bad.  So I've opted for the farmer's market.


Yesterday, though, I was introduced to a CSA in Turtle Lake, Wisconsin that has a build your own box program.  I enjoyed talking to the farmers and signed us up for the summer.  The way it works, is I paid for a share - there are three choices, and I chose the least expensive to start, and I can choose my produce each week from a list they will email me and pick it up at the Midtown or Uptown farmer's markets in Minneapolis.  I'm in love.  I can support this new, small farm and choose vegetables I know I can cook each week.  


The CSA is called The Laughing Stalk Farmstead and I'm looking forward to a summer full of great produce.  I'll pass along some of my recipes as the summer progresses.