CSA (aka bringing the Farmers' Market to you)

Community Supported Agriculture = the best way for busy people to get local, fresh, organic produce into their kitchen. If you're anything like me, sometimes motivating to go to the Farmers' Market on a dreary Sunday morning is a little more than you're up for. However, if you join a CSA, the Farmers' Market comes to you. That's right...according to LocalHarvest.org the definition of a CSA is as follows: a farmer offers a certain number of "shares" to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a "membership" or a "subscription") and in return receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.

Eric and I have recently joined a CSA called Eating with the Seasons here in the Bay Area. Now, every Thursday (starting in December) we'll get an extra small box (6 types of produce for $17) of super fresh fruits and veggies delivered from the farm to a pick-up location a few blocks from our house. In addition, we can add extras like eggs, granola, and olive oil if we choose. Quite a deal, right?

And CSAs are so hot right now. In fact, my friends Jillian and Christina recently started an awesome blog called Farm and a Frying Pan that was inspired by the huge amounts of unusual vegetables brought to them by their CSA (think kale, celery root, and leeks). They are learning how to cook and eat these fabulous local, sustainable items, and with their blog, they are sharing their adventures with all of us. As they put it, "this blog is our attempt at uncovering what you can really do when you have access to a FARM and a FRYING PAN."

If you need additional recipes for out-of-the-ordinary vegetables, there are plenty of great vegetarian cookbooks out there. The Everything Vegetarian Cookbook is one great example, and The Enchanted Broccoli Forest is another. Happy veggie cooking!

Aaaaaand, I'm Back

Hi readers!

As promised, it's the end of October, and I'm back and ready to blog my organic cotton socks off. A lot of really exciting stuff has been happening since I've last posted, so I should probably begin by catching you up. First of all, I spent my late summer/early fall doing quite a bit of very cool field work in exotic places of the world like Anniston, AL (burros); Marietta, OH; and Kalamazoo, MI (big bass).

While the field work was fun (great people) and interesting, I have known for a while now that my time at my current company was growing short, AND low and behold, I got a new job last week! Yep, I'm going to work for a cleantech company that may or may not make an electric sports car. It's a big move, but I'm really excited about it. Inside sales/cars/clean technology (i.e. my new position) is quuuuite a bit different than ecological field work, so I have a lot to learn...which is kind of the point in the whole switching-careers thing.

Finally, because of friendships with great people in high places, YBG is going to be part of a test program with Overstock.com to increase its social media outlets. This means that I'll be blogging about and noting cool, green, and inexpensive products that can make your life more sustainable. Like I said, exciting things are afoot!

Keepin' it YBG,
Dale

A Brief Sabbatical

Hi loyal readers,

I wanted to jot a quick post to let you know that I haven't forsaken you and YBG. I am in the middle of an epic stint of fall field work, and 13 hours days in the field aren't terribly conducive to blogging (...or bill paying or calls to friends and family or QT with your dog). I will be back at a desk and regular working hours by the end of October, I hope, so if you can be patient with me until then, I greatly appreciate it.

Until then, keep thinking YBG!
Dale