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Since my wife and I are new to the area we actually read some of the publications that get sent to our house to find new places to try and see what opportunities there may be out there.  We browse through them while eating breakfast (you can only read the back of those cereal boxes so many times ya know) and during lunch together on the weekends. 

One of the publications that we get, and read, is the Allegheny West Magazine. In the February 2008 edition my wife came across an article featuring an article entitled "Eating Well, Buying Local" by Pat Jennette.  This piqued both my wife's interest as well as mine.  We like to try and keep a low carbon footprint and are always interested in doing thing a little more environmentally friendly.  The article described Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, and some opportunities that are available in the Pittsburgh area.

She had me read the article and we both liked what we read and have decided to give CSA a try.  CSA is where people like you and me can support our local food producers, get great produce, help save our environment, without a lot of effort. Basically what it comes down to is supporting your local farmers with your business instead of going to Giant Eagle and buying produce that has been shipped halfway around the world and grown by people not making a livable wage.  Is it a little more expensive?  Yes,  but with all of benefits I am a firm believer that the little extra in monetary cost is easy to justify for the peace of mind with knowing who grew your food and how it was grown.

The next decision that we needed to make was what CSA do we join?  In the article they focused on two local CSA programs.  The first was Shared Acres in Clinton, Pa.  Their program sounded very much like the traditional CSA setup.  You pay your membership fee and then every week, during the program, you receive a box of goodness to enjoy.    The second CSA program that was featured was Cherry Valley Organics located near Burgettstown, Pa.  Cherry Valley has a slight twist on the traditional CSA program.  They allow you to choose the type and quantity of the food you receive or what they call "a la carte".  Since I can be a little picky of an eater, although you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at me, this seems to fit our lifestyle a little better.  They also have many pickup points south and west of the city, although most CSA's have multiple pickup points to make getting your food very convenient. 

Cherry Valley Organics also does something that many of the other CSA programs have done.  They have partnered with local meat suppliers so that you can get locally raised meat, poultry, and eggs.  This was a big plus.  Imagine eating whole meals with all locally grown and raised foods.  I am looking forward to that this summer.

I want to share my experience with what I am calling the "CSA Experiment" over the summer.  So make sure your check back in to see how it is going.  I hope to become a little more adventurous and try some things that I have not had in while...and even some things that I "don't like."  I also hope to share some recipes as I find different ways to prepare the food.  I encourage everyone to take a look into their local CSA programs and join one.