Fresh from the Local Farm
Treat yourself to the freshest vegetables possible this summer—and support local farms in the process.
On Thanksgiving Day 2011, just a week shy of his 48th birthday, John Sharo of Midland Park had a heart attack. It was a wakeup call that prompted him and his family to dramatically change their eating habits. “Until then the only vegetables we ate were canned, because that’s what I grew up with,” his wife, Kirsten, recalls. “And if it was green, John wouldn’t touch it.”
Kirsten remembered hearing about community supported agriculture (CSA) from a friend in town and decided to take the plunge. CSA has become a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food. Here’s how it works: A farmer offers a certain number of “shares” of his or her harvest to the public in late winter/early spring. Interested customers purchase a share, paying up front for the entire season. (The price for a share is around $30 a week.) In return, you receive a box of vegetables every week throughout the season—typically from May or June through October or November. “We got so many different kinds of vegetables: zucchini, broccoli, beets, eggplant, corn, even garlic scapes, which I never knew existed,” says Kirsten. It was a learning experience, especially for the three young children. “Everybody had to try at least one bite,” she recalls. “It was rough; there was a lot of gagging and crying.”
Fast-forward to the following spring. “By then, when we picked up our share, the kids would ask if there were any rainbow carrots or spinach,” says Kirsten. “They’d want to know if we got the right kind of kale to make kale chips. And John is much more willing to try new vegetables. He’ll find a recipe now and play with it.”
Interested in signing up? Try Abma’s Farm in Wyckoff (abmas farm.com); Hesperides Organica, which has CSA pickup locations in Hackensack, Hawthorne, New Milford and Ramsey (hesperides organica.com); or Veritas Farm, which serves Ridgewood (sign up at Whole Foods in Ridgewood). —CAROL BI ALKOWS KI
