Eat Healthy, Eat Local

On March 25, Alexandria became only the second city in the country to pass a resolution in support of healthier eating, including increasing residents' access to locally grown, environmentally sustainable foods. And here at Mindful Hands we are happy to do our part in support of that same goal!

Mindful Hands is once again sponsoring an organic farm co-op (also known as a "CSA," or "community sponsored agriculture") in which members pay at the beginning of the season for 20 weeks worth of fresh, organic farm produce. If you are like me, you definitely appreciate the crisp and flavorful taste of homegrown vegetables picked fresh just that morning.

To find a co-op, farmer's market, or CSA near you, check out the Local Harvest website.

Mmm-Mmm! That's Good Eatin'!

If you've ever grown your own vegetables you know there's nothing tastier than carrots, turnips, or fresh herbs pulled right from the ground and onto your dinner plate. Yet most of the produce you buy in your neighborhood grocery store travels up to 1,500 miles to get to your table. It's often over- or under-ripe and almost always tasteless by the time it reaches your refrigerator.

Even if you can't grow your own vegetables, there's still another solution to buying produce from industrial agribusinesses: buy from your local family farmer. In recent years there's been a growing awareness that locally-produced food is not only better tasting but it's better for you, too.

There are many benefits to buying locally-grown food, including:

• locally-grown food is picked when it's ripe and not before, so it's more nutritious and tastes better
  
• locally-grown food is often cheaper since family farms don't have the high overhead of transportation and labor costs
  
• you'll contribute to the economic health of your local community as more of your dollars will stay in the community
  
• you'll help to preserve the long-term viability of family farms, protecting them from encroachment by development
  
• locally-grown food is often healthier for you and for the environment as many family farmers use fewer pesticides and other chemicals or use entirely organic farming methods
  

Chris and I support a local farm, the Farmstead of Charlotte Hall in Maryland, through a program called Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Every week, just-picked produce is delivered to a community location (in Alexandria, the drop-off location is Mindful Hands; how's THAT for convenience!). Members of a CSA buy shares in the farm prior to the growing season and then receive the bounty of their investment throughout the summer and fall.

The Farmstead's season runs for 21 weeks from June 2nd until Oct. 29th. Each week, members will receive a hand-picked selection of the ripest and tastiest vegetables, including lettuce, tomatoes, onions, beets, peas, carrots, radishes, turnips, squash, potatoes, and a variety of herbs. Mmm-mmm! Now, that's good eatin'!

To find a CSA in your area and for more information on buying locally-grown food from family farms, try these sources:

Sustainable Table (www.sustainabletable.org)
Local Harvest (www.localharvest.org)