Chez Copa Crop Talk

Is it just me or has DC siphoned in a little green fever from the left coast? Not that its a bad thing. But I'm not that touchy feel-ey about the whole Captain Planet movement.

Look -I'm from California - so I've had a few things drilled into me at an early age. I compulsively turn off lights when I leave the room (occasionally someone else is still using them - hence the compulsiveness) because I've been threatened with blackouts. I recycle because I've seen how gross the landfills are. And I turn off the faucet when I'm brushing my teeth because it's the right thing to do (and stealing water from Arizona is not.) Even though I don't live in my big fat green state of CA anymore, Linds and I still do our best to accommodate my So Cal -OCD. But I bet if you did an Al-Gore audit - there would be more than a few things I could do to clean up my footprint. Phooey.

Last Weeks Delivery

One of the new things Chez Copa is trying is local organic farming. It cuts down on transportation, supports local growers, and the food theoretically is better for us. Linds saw Food Inc (it's still in my netflix queue) and the idea of going local seemed pretty neat. But it can be such a hassle trying to get to farmers markets on specific days. Or chaining myself to the tomatoes at Shoppers until they bring local produce in seems ridiculous.

So we joined a local farm co-op. Sure I can rattle off all the environmental and social benefits it has,  but the biggest perk is having FRESH produce: apricots, basil, kale, strawberries, blah blah blah delivered every week (different each time). And I know those suckers came off the tree the day before.

Plus it's pretty bad ass to say...We own a farm (or a part of one rather). And although they don't offer bargain basement prices - it's comparable to the grocery store. We pay about $20 a week during the summer and get a crate worth of whatever was picked that week. And we can head out to the farm (about an hour away) and grab some more. In addition to our crate, every week they send out an email with recipes - should you need some inspiration. And the produce bags are bio-degradable - should that be at the top of your check list. If you're in Arlington ...here's the link. If not ..do a quick Google search for a local co-op. Very cool.