farm to table survey

[bibliophile birds]

i'm really surprised at some of the results so far. 83% of respondents would like to buy local butter! that's the most desired value-added product. cheese is only 65%.

i don't know of anyone in my area that makes butter... hmm, perhaps i'm going to have to start churning butter!

 

[abifae]

took the survey if i had space i'd like to grow more of my own foods, otherwise i really like CSA and farmer's market. it's really a toss up. the nice thing on CSA is paying up front and supporting it the whole way through. the fun thing about the farmer's market is browsing

 

[ducks4you]

I don't know that I've bought from a CSA, but I know of small farmer's markets that sell at their locations AND are on my way home from work (alternative route.) When you budget your food, you have to take into account the cost of gas for your car, too. I took the survey. I am more interested in CSA's than I ever would have been several years ago when I started gardening in the back yard. Certainly, nobody at a CSA or farmer's market is going to care if I rot the fruit/vegetable and try to grow my own from the seeds!
I guess that a lot has to do with where I live, which is a tiny town of 200, surrounded by farms. Just this morning we passed a pickup with sweet corn for sale--would have stopped to buy if we didn't have to keep an appointment, but I'm going to look for him tomorrow morning.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

yeah, i know CSAs don't work for a lot of people. and i'm not totally set on the idea yet. but i think that this section of the buying public- under-informed working moms with not a lot of time and no interest in growing their own- MIGHT be pulled away from Big Ag if it's as easy as paying for a share and getting a basket. that's really what i'm trying to find out.

Why CSAs don't work for me: I like to cook whatever it is I am in the mood for on any given night or for a given week (or what my husband and I can agree on). I don't like the idea of getting a bunch of wonderful produce that I am not in the mood to eat. :/ I'm sure that for busy mothers, if you include easy recipes with the veggies, it might be a much better deal overall. For me, I would rather have the staples, which for me is onions, scallions, garlic, greens, etc. But I grow my own greens and other veggies that I eat a lot of, so I would be a picky customer. :/

Why farmer's markets don't work for me: As previously stated, I usually grow the veggies I eat the most of. I will go to the farmer's market if I wasn't able to grow enough of one of these . . . . The other problem for me is that farmer's markets are usually once a week, typically on the weekend. I try to shop once a week (to conserve fuel), but I often don't have time to grocery shop on the weekend, so the farmer's market is not my pre-planned shopping trip, but an extra trip if I see fit.

So I guess for me a CSA would be a good deal if: 1) it delivered and 2) it focused on staples or crops that are hard to grow enough of on one's own property (onions, garlic, raspberries -- ok I just can't get enough of them -- etc.) or veggies that are easy to pair with main courses (in our house that means broccoli, asparagus, and greens). Oh, and just for added emphasis, I would never, ever turn down asparagus.

 

[Ohioann]

Interesting survey. I'm a mix...Buy some groceries at the store, buy from Farmer's Market at least once a month during season, buy some fruits and veggies for canning and freezing from local truck farmer and fruit farms, have a few raised beds for trying heirloom veggies, and I participate in a very interesting CSA. The CSA has three levels of membership. 1) full price, 2) half price + 1 hour of garden work per week 3) share of seed cost and 2 or more hours per week of garden work. The owner is a vegetarian and she grows an amazing variety. This is my first year and I chose the seed share and work plan. Its a very interesting experience and I'm learning alot about some new to me veggies and successive plantings. We are lucky in that there is a local dairy/cheese plant where I get local butter and cheese. There is a family who is talking about starting a herd share for milk and I've told them I'd be interested. We have our own chickens, turkeys and bees. Ohioann

 

[Farmfresh]

I took the survey.

Really I do my best to buy local foods, but I don't think a CSA would work for me either.

Most of what I buy direct from the farmer is meat on the hoof. I occasionally supplement produce that I just can not grow enough of or have a bad year for.

Sweet corn is my biggest farmers market item. I grow my own corn, but I don't have near enough space to keep up with hubbies demand. He love his sweet corn!

We went to our local Farmers market today and came home with sweet corn, beets (I was planning them for my fall garden this year and they looked good) and a couple of BIG old ripe Brandywine tomatoes, since the only tomatoes that are ripe at my house so far are the cherries.