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THE LATEST FOR LOCAVORES
What's new in the world of community-supported agriculture
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Whether their obsession lies with artisan cheese from Vermont, free range bison from the Adirondacks, or sulfate-free wine from Northern California, urban foodies make it their business to celebrate local grub. Aside from tilling your own
victory garden
, there is currently no better way of forging a connection with your food and the people who grow it than by joining a community-supported agriculture collective. (Plus, figuring out what to do with all that kale will make you a more creative chef.) Check out a few of the latest trends in the CSAs movement:
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Frozen Produce CSAs: The only thing better than enjoying a bowl of homemade pureed parsnip soup in January may be feasting on a bowl of local strawberries for dessert. Hardcore locavores no longer have to give up their fruit cocktail and power smoothies once the summer ends, as companies such as
Winter Sun Farms
are now freezing and storing local summer produce for winter distribution. In addition to helping reduce the carbon emissions produced by flying off-season fruit around the world, members also help farms thrive year round by paying in advance for these winter shares. We can't wait to impress our food snob friends with some local blueberry muffins at brunch in February.
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Alcohol CSAs: No longer limited to fresh produce, CSA members can now also subscribe to local beer and wine. (How's that for a taste of
healthy hedonism
?) Virginia's
Shooting Creek Brewery
hooks up with local CSA drop sites to deliver its farmhouse ales to area hopheads, while also allowing fans to subscribe to its own CSA - in this case, CSA stands for "community-supported ale" - for home delivery. And through Massachusetts'
Charlton Orchard
, area oenophiles can subscribe to not only produce and grass-fed beef, but also some wicked good vino with which to wash the steaks down. Sign up for all three shares and you'll be on your way to starting your own
speakeasy supper club
.
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Alt Farm CSAs: Rural farmers need not grab all the agricultural glory, as urban farmers are now reaping harvests bountiful enough to start their own CSAs. Through Milwaukee's
Community Growers
, CSA subscribers can fill their salad bowls with exotic lettuces grown not in a field, but on a rooftop farm. As with most things in urban environments, costs are on the high end, but customers, displaying their passion for the project, are more than willing to shell out the $800 annual fee to receive their weekly boxes of leafy greens. Always a hotbed of creativity, Brooklyn's entry into the CSA community is no exception. Documentarian team Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, of
King Corn
fame, are growing edibles in the bed of a pickup truck. While
Truck Farm
's yield certainly pales in comparison to that of an actual farm, it's at least proving to urbanites that the homegrown movement doesn't necessarily demand a garden apartment.
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* trendcentral articles are designed to be trend reports, not endorsements * The Intelligence Group is a trend-forecasting and marketing Consultancy focused on Gen X, Gen Y and Tweens. For more information on our services, or to subscribe to our syndicated studies, The Cassandra Report, Tween Intelligence, Latino Intelligence, and Mom Intelligence, contact Alina Goncalves at 212-277-5299 or via email at agoncalves@intelg.com.
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