CSAs: Damn, That's My Jam!

It took local friends two years of persuasion to get us to join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) called Rexcroft Farms.

Hiya! Rexcroft Farm's Farmer Dan.

I am so glad that we did, mainly because I love Rexcroft's fresh, local, organic fruit. This endless winter has made me doubly grateful for the CSA because we're still getting that taste of summer, thanks to homemade blueberry, strawberry, peach, and plum jams, which I cook and then toss into the freezer in Tupperware containers.

I know, I know: I should promote old-school techniques like canning.

For decades, my little Syrian-born mama and my finest living definition of "Hustle," has plucked fruit from her backyard trees in Sacramento--peaches, apricots, cherries, quince. And like it's no big deal, she makes a year's worth of canned jams and home-made fruit rolls. On family visits, I still load up on jams, especially quince, which is exquisite.

But it is a big deal for me to gather the necessary tools and stand, heat-rashed and cursing, over boiling pots in my 90 degree, un-air-conditioned New York kitchen. I'm thrilled to cut out one blazing hot step of canning by freezing them.

These days, I make PB&J sandwiches for myself using my jam masterpiece: Orange-Juice-Vanilla-Kentucky-Bourbon-Plum. (Yep, I made up that recipe.) And every time I eat it, I sing to myself "Two Clouds Above Nine," a great tune by 90s rave-masters Deee-Lite: "Damn, that's my jam!" 

Lady Miss Kier: Use your magic powers to Bring Back Spring!

Seriously, you should consider joining a CSA, too. True, CSA offerings are sometimes confusing. Consider Kohlrabi...



 

...spawn of a turnip and Diva Plavalaguna from The Fifth Element.

Freaky, yes! Happily, it's also delicious, as I discovered when I got adventuresome with Mark Bittman's genius cookbook How To Cook Everything.

That's really what CSA membership is about: showing up every week and taking a chance on real, fresh, local food. You won't regret the decision.

Check out these two very local CSA options:
1. Rexcroft Farms: Contact Barbara Carr (barbaracarr@optonline.net, or via Facebook)
2. Mobius Fields: Contact Deb Taft (deb@mobiusfields.com, or via Facebook)

It also helps to get a deep freezer for the extra corn, tomatoes, and jams. And look, you lucky Westchester folk, you can get this one FOR FREE on craigslist right now:

Or...not. Your choice.



Copyright 2014, Tanya Monier