CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)

Yesterday was my first pick-up for the CSA I joined this year. This is my first time trying this method of supporting my local farmers. The basic premise is that you pay up-front for a share of the farmer's harvest. It is really a win-win situation. I get fresh, local foods every week for my family and the farmer gets paid during the planting season.

So, yesterday I picked up my bag of bok choy (which they called pak choy), lettuce, radishes, peas and chard. The farmer was also nice enough to give me a discount on some more peas since the amount in the share was not enough to feed a family of 13.

All in all, it should be great fun seeing what comes in each week.

Basic Sourdough Sandwich Bread

As part of The Real Food Challenge by The Nourished Kitchen, I ordered a sourdough starter, fed it, watered it and now it is returning the favor by supplying my family with really good, all natural bread.

For the benefit of some of my Real Food friends, I'm posting pictures of my basic sourdough sandwich bread. I followed the recipe from The Nourishing Gourmet and it turned out great the very first time I made it.

Starting GNOWFGLINS e-course

Tomorrow begins Wardeh's e-course on real food fundamentals. I hadn't planned on signing up for the course because I'm a little beyond the "fundamentals" when it comes to real food. However, it was just too tempting for me. She will be covering some material that I have stayed away from, so I'm looking forward to learning some things there.

I plan on taking the lessons very seriously and hopefully improving some of my planning and implementing in the kitchen over the next 5 months. At the end of the 5 months, my goal is to be completely following the Nourishing Traditions way of eating. It also puts me into the summer months here, in which I hope to begin eating as much local as possible.

Defining Real Food

Real food is making a come-back. There is a movement to bring back to our tables food that is nourishing to the body, not just filling for the stomach. A movement to give our families that food that God has provided to create healthy individuals.

It is a renaissance, a revival of old customs, such as soaking grains, sourdough breads, fermented milk products.

I'm proud to be part of this renaissance and look forward to journaling what I've learned and what I am learning about feeding my family "real food."