I am almost in tears. Fine, I am in tears. Every time I eat lunch with my son, I am so sobered by how little kids eat at lunch. I wonder how they can learn at all with such little nutrition. There has to be a better way to solve the "feed many" problem without sacrificing nutrients for cost. thank you for writing this.
Your descriptions of the flavor that grass fed milk provides are amazing. The nutrition from the animal just absorbs into the food and our bodies. Delicious.
School Lunch Lady's comments brought me to tears. The people working in school cafeteria's are dealing with a sad reality and many aren't getting the administrative support they need to make changes.
I agree w/ some of the other commenters- limit the choices @ lunch. Kids don't need to pick from 4-5 options. Give them a hot option, sandwich or salad. Sometimes I think we burden kids with too many choices.
It's not just a public school issue. My kids' private daycare/school offers miserable hot lunches. Not only do they serve everything in styrofoam containers, the hot food is ALL processed! They make a feeble attempt at including healthy items by throwing lettuce in a cup and sometimes serving fruit, but I often see those items in the trash. The kids prefer to eat the bag of chips or junk food item included with every meal.
I have spoken with the school director about offering healthier food and replacing the styrofoam, but they don't manage the food program- it's run from the main school. I am looking forward to Jamie Oliver's upcoming show and hope that it raises awareness among other parents who want to get involved. If they do, perhaps we'll start seeing more people demand real change in the school lunch programs.
Bill, I can completely see where you are coming from with this post. This will be our 3rd year with HV, and while I still love it, I would have been ok with stopping it and just shopping at Farmers Markets or at our Co-op.
I think it comes down to how you cook. If you'd rather create a menu for the week and then pick up the produce you'll need for it, Farmers Markets are the way to go. It will be cheaper and you can buy just what you need.
We've really enjoyed getting the random veggies each week, trying new recipes all the time. But it takes a lot of planning and being open to new meals. And with a baby coming this May, I worry about coming up with stuff to do with it all this year, and having a wife that will want to eat it.
Disclaimer: what I write below is not meant to dissuade you from joining a CSA. I just want to provide you with our own experiences and what alternatives we employ instead which work better for us.
Back in 2008 we joined a CSA along with my wife's cousin and her husband. I was embarking on my journey into eating what I hoped would one day become a 100% organic and local diet. What I found was that the CSA, while wonderful in theory and heavily advocated by the local/organic foodies of Minnesota, did not work for my family.
After much research into the topic I decided on Harmony Valley Farm out of WI. They had everything we wanted: a local drop-off close to our home (about 7 miles road distance) with convenient hours, a flexible plan (you choose the weeks, rather than sitting on a set schedule), payment plan, and payment via credit card. Perfect.
Now, I loved the idea that I was going to be supporting a "local" (everyone's definition of 'local' is different, this fit mine) grower who had been struggling lately due to flooding. We'd be getting organic produce delivered close to home and it would give us variety and seasonality unmatched by other sources. Sweet.
The first box was smallish in size. Ah, the beginning of the season--not much in there eh? Well, our contribution (about 2x as much as we'd pay elsewhere) was going to a local grower and it all looked great. I even tried to eat the nettles which normally revolt me due to their sting as I brush by them in short sleeves on hikes through the woods. The ultimate revenge--consuming them!
But time and time again we received boxes which were took small and loaded with vegetables that I had no idea what they were or what to do with them. Scouring the recipes provided (which did absolutely nothing for my wife as she's into more standard eating) and the Internet I spent too much of my time cooking dishes that weren't at all enjoyable for everyone in the family. My wife's cousin and her husband had busy schedules and were finding that they'd eat the mixed greens and leave much of the rest to rot--which it quickly did.
By the end of the season when I was expecting loads of tomatoes for canning and corn like I'd never seen before, I found the boxes still lacking--yet another poor growing season and more flooding had killed off their crops and thus our boxes. Other people seemed thrilled to be paying good money for this, why wasn't I enjoying it as much?
Well, at the end of the day we decided that a CSA just wasn't for us. My wife wasn't adventurous, we no longer had a family willing to share the boxes with, and I had moved on to other more inexpensive ways at getting local and/or semi-organic vegetables instead.
I started shopping the local farmers markets (on Thursday downtown as well as Saturdays in Minneapolis) and I always asked where their farm was located (most were in Farmington that I spoke with--making my definition of 'local' even closer to my home in Apple Valley). I found local growers with stands either roadside or in their own homes who stated that while they weren't certified organic, they promised/swore/crossed their hearts and hoped to die that they weren't using many (if any) chemicals. I started shopping at my local co-op and eventually became a member and kept my promise to buy vegetables that were marked as local and organic.
Our vegetable budget dropped, my wife was happier, and we were still adhering to the principals which I set out to make when I embarked on my CSA adventure. While certainly not 100% organic, I find that I am much happier with my personal choice and still hope that some day, when money permits, I will find another CSA which may fit my family's pretty standard vegetable eating.
Good luck everyone in finding what's best for you and your own family!
We've been members of Fresh Earth Farms for several years now and keep going back for:
1) the on-farm pick-up
2) the coordination of obtaining other foods such as fruits and meats
3) the variety of produce available
4) the "take what you need" availability of supplemental fresh herbs and hot peppers to go with the week's produce
They do a good job of planting a variety of crops so that if one thing isn't doing so well, something else will be thriving. This past year they had awesome lettuce and broccoli, and plenty of tomatoes. Other years have brought other things.
I think very important thing When building the home for your chickens, you don’t have to spend a lot of money buying brand new materials. You can build it from recycled materials, such as wood left over from a home project – even hinges salvaged from old kitchen or bathroom makeovers can be put to use as hinges for a chicken coop door.
I am almost in tears. Fine,
I am almost in tears. Fine, I am in tears. Every time I eat lunch with my son, I am so sobered by how little kids eat at lunch. I wonder how they can learn at all with such little nutrition. There has to be a better way to solve the "feed many" problem without sacrificing nutrients for cost. thank you for writing this.
Bar La Grassa, 5:30
Bar La Grassa, 5:30 reservation! I'm drooling just thinking about it!
Cafe 28 for me and my
Cafe 28 for me and my girlfriends!
Your descriptions of the
Your descriptions of the flavor that grass fed milk provides are amazing. The nutrition from the animal just absorbs into the food and our bodies. Delicious.
School Lunch Lady's comments
School Lunch Lady's comments brought me to tears. The people working in school cafeteria's are dealing with a sad reality and many aren't getting the administrative support they need to make changes.
I agree w/ some of the other commenters- limit the choices @ lunch. Kids don't need to pick from 4-5 options. Give them a hot option, sandwich or salad. Sometimes I think we burden kids with too many choices.
It's not just a public school issue. My kids' private daycare/school offers miserable hot lunches. Not only do they serve everything in styrofoam containers, the hot food is ALL processed! They make a feeble attempt at including healthy items by throwing lettuce in a cup and sometimes serving fruit, but I often see those items in the trash. The kids prefer to eat the bag of chips or junk food item included with every meal.
I have spoken with the school director about offering healthier food and replacing the styrofoam, but they don't manage the food program- it's run from the main school. I am looking forward to Jamie Oliver's upcoming show and hope that it raises awareness among other parents who want to get involved. If they do, perhaps we'll start seeing more people demand real change in the school lunch programs.
Bill, I can completely see
Bill, I can completely see where you are coming from with this post. This will be our 3rd year with HV, and while I still love it, I would have been ok with stopping it and just shopping at Farmers Markets or at our Co-op.
I think it comes down to how you cook. If you'd rather create a menu for the week and then pick up the produce you'll need for it, Farmers Markets are the way to go. It will be cheaper and you can buy just what you need.
We've really enjoyed getting the random veggies each week, trying new recipes all the time. But it takes a lot of planning and being open to new meals. And with a baby coming this May, I worry about coming up with stuff to do with it all this year, and having a wife that will want to eat it.
Disclaimer: what I write
Disclaimer: what I write below is not meant to dissuade you from joining a CSA. I just want to provide you with our own experiences and what alternatives we employ instead which work better for us.
Back in 2008 we joined a CSA along with my wife's cousin and her husband. I was embarking on my journey into eating what I hoped would one day become a 100% organic and local diet. What I found was that the CSA, while wonderful in theory and heavily advocated by the local/organic foodies of Minnesota, did not work for my family.
After much research into the topic I decided on Harmony Valley Farm out of WI. They had everything we wanted: a local drop-off close to our home (about 7 miles road distance) with convenient hours, a flexible plan (you choose the weeks, rather than sitting on a set schedule), payment plan, and payment via credit card. Perfect.
Now, I loved the idea that I was going to be supporting a "local" (everyone's definition of 'local' is different, this fit mine) grower who had been struggling lately due to flooding. We'd be getting organic produce delivered close to home and it would give us variety and seasonality unmatched by other sources. Sweet.
The first box was smallish in size. Ah, the beginning of the season--not much in there eh? Well, our contribution (about 2x as much as we'd pay elsewhere) was going to a local grower and it all looked great. I even tried to eat the nettles which normally revolt me due to their sting as I brush by them in short sleeves on hikes through the woods. The ultimate revenge--consuming them!
But time and time again we received boxes which were took small and loaded with vegetables that I had no idea what they were or what to do with them. Scouring the recipes provided (which did absolutely nothing for my wife as she's into more standard eating) and the Internet I spent too much of my time cooking dishes that weren't at all enjoyable for everyone in the family. My wife's cousin and her husband had busy schedules and were finding that they'd eat the mixed greens and leave much of the rest to rot--which it quickly did.
By the end of the season when I was expecting loads of tomatoes for canning and corn like I'd never seen before, I found the boxes still lacking--yet another poor growing season and more flooding had killed off their crops and thus our boxes. Other people seemed thrilled to be paying good money for this, why wasn't I enjoying it as much?
Well, at the end of the day we decided that a CSA just wasn't for us. My wife wasn't adventurous, we no longer had a family willing to share the boxes with, and I had moved on to other more inexpensive ways at getting local and/or semi-organic vegetables instead.
I started shopping the local farmers markets (on Thursday downtown as well as Saturdays in Minneapolis) and I always asked where their farm was located (most were in Farmington that I spoke with--making my definition of 'local' even closer to my home in Apple Valley). I found local growers with stands either roadside or in their own homes who stated that while they weren't certified organic, they promised/swore/crossed their hearts and hoped to die that they weren't using many (if any) chemicals. I started shopping at my local co-op and eventually became a member and kept my promise to buy vegetables that were marked as local and organic.
Our vegetable budget dropped, my wife was happier, and we were still adhering to the principals which I set out to make when I embarked on my CSA adventure. While certainly not 100% organic, I find that I am much happier with my personal choice and still hope that some day, when money permits, I will find another CSA which may fit my family's pretty standard vegetable eating.
Good luck everyone in finding what's best for you and your own family!
We've been members of Fresh
We've been members of Fresh Earth Farms for several years now and keep going back for:
1) the on-farm pick-up
2) the coordination of obtaining other foods such as fruits and meats
3) the variety of produce available
4) the "take what you need" availability of supplemental fresh herbs and hot peppers to go with the week's produce
They do a good job of planting a variety of crops so that if one thing isn't doing so well, something else will be thriving. This past year they had awesome lettuce and broccoli, and plenty of tomatoes. Other years have brought other things.
Packing a lunch is a good
Packing a lunch is a good individual solution. The School Lunch Program is public policy.
The children who eat school lunch every day are often the reduced/free lunch students. What those students eat matters.
Requiring their parents to provide a nutritious packed lunch misses the point.
The School Lunch Program is a public policy to provide a hot, nutritious meal to any child who needs it.
Of all the programs my taxes could support, an excellent School Lunch Program would be an inexpensive, worthwhile contribution to the public good.
I think very important thing
I think very important thing When building the home for your chickens, you don’t have to spend a lot of money buying brand new materials. You can build it from recycled materials, such as wood left over from a home project – even hinges salvaged from old kitchen or bathroom makeovers can be put to use as hinges for a chicken coop door.