A year and a half ago I joined my first CSA. If you do not know what a CSA is by now, you need to get with it! CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Food grown by local farmers. Winter 2010-2011, I signed up for an organic CSA that delivered one basket a month in the winter and once a week in the summer. I had to drive to a "somewhat" local farmer's market to pick up my fruits and vegetables. If I wanted eggs or meats, I had to purchase them extra. I bought eggs occasionally, which I loved. Unfortunately, I never bought meat because it wasn't available at the market. I would have to drive out to the farm over an hour away to pick it up. The winter baskets were fine because I received a lot of squashes, pumpkins, and root veggies that I could mash up for a young Little Dudo. However, I was extremely disappointed in the summer deliveries. I understand that it was a very wet spring last year (the extreme opposite of this year). Some weeks, I felt that I was wasting gas and my precious time driving to pick up my puny order. One pick-up in particular, I received one zucchini, a bunch of very wilted lettuce, an onion, a few potatoes, and one small head of garlic. The deliveries simply were not enough to cover my initial expense. I could have bought the same amount at the West Side Market for half the price! Fortunately other people complained because the next few weeks the baskets were bigger, but the veggies were still wilted. That CSA was a small operation and after a while I realized that they took on more subscribers than they could handle.
Not only that, they lacked customer service. I saw the same person every single week for almost a year and he did not once remember me. He didn't have to remember my name, but at least remember that I am one of your CSA subscribers. I missed my order one week and asked if I could drive out to the farm to pick it up. I was told to come on down. I packed Little Dudo in the car and we set out on this long, long drive. When I got to the farm, no one was home. We walked around looking at the chickens for 20 minutes until he finally rolled up. I was so angry. The very last straw came in the final weeks of the CSA. I drove to the farmer's market early with Little Dudo for my pick-up. I checked in and waited for him to assemble my basket. Then I was told I had to wait because he wanted to get the order for the guy who came after me...he had a larger order than I did. Here I am in 90 degree weather holding a baby and I had to take a back seat for an middle aged balding male. I knew at that point I would need another CSA. I was not going to give up on my quest for delicious, organic local food, I was just giving up on that CSA. I tell you this long winded story so you understand how very thankful I am for Fresh Fork Market.
I spoke to a former co-worker who is similar minded about his family's food. He said that he joined Fresh Fork Market and loved it. I immediately went to their website http://wp.freshforkmarket.com/ which had a ton of information about the program, how it started, some of the farmers and vendors they work with, and sample weekly deliveries. I could not believe what I read that they worked with farmers AND vendors. Not only would I be receiving fruits and vegetables, but also meats, cheeses, grains, eggs, syrup, and other special goodies rotated each week. I would hardly ever get the same foods weeks in a row, like the previous CSA. Not everything is organic, but their concern for sustainability and chemical pesticides made me want to join. It was winter time so I emailed and also called to see if I could be added on. A few days later, Trevor called me and said that I was in luck and could be added to the winter session. Trevor emailed me a few times to set up my online profile. I received emails the Tuesday before my bi-Thursday delivery, informing me of what I would expect to receive. Also, FFM has numerous pick-up locations on different days. If I could not make it to the one in my hometown, then I could go to a neighboring one on a different day. If I was on vacation, then I could roll over credit to another week. FFM isn't a CSA. They describe themselves as a "grocery subscription based on a CSA model." I like to think of it as a CSA on steroids.
Fresh Fork Market has far exceeded my expectations and I will never leave this company unless they close up shop. During the winter, the emphasis was on meats, cheeses, and other non-perishable staples. (FFM has vegetarian and vegan options as well.) I also received raspberries and corn frozen from the summer harvest and other veggies that were grown in greenhouses, which Dudo loved. I was so happy with the winter bags that I quickly paid upfront for the large weekly summer subscription. The few weeks wait between the end of winter and the first summer pick-up was torturous. Soon, the month of June approached and then we all received communications from Trevor about the upcoming summer FMM season.
In case you did not pick up from previous posts, we are adding a little chica to our happy family. So, I am not in the mood to go grocery shopping every week for our expanding broad. FMM to the rescue! With weekly pick-ups, I have lots of veggies, fruits, and plenty of proteins to cook delicious and nutritious meals for the fam. There are small packages or large packages for weekly summer pick-up. I opted for the large package. I have froze food to use over the winter and given some goodies away too. Every week is different. I am surprised that I am anxious to read my Tuesday email outlining what will be in my Thursday delivery.
That's another thing that I love about FMM. I feel like I am part of the FMM community. Not only does Trevor send emails about the contents of the weekly pick-ups, but he also sends out newsletters with recipes and hints on how to use the items in the bag. There are also FMM happy hours, farm tours, wine visits, and cooking and instructional classes. Anytime I have a problem, I go on the FMM Facebook page and post my problem or issue. Lots of fellow subscribers come to my aid and offer suggestions. It's also a good place to share recipes that we used with our week's haul.
Unlike other FFM bloggers, I do not take pictures of my FFM bag contents. Why? Because I am too focused on getting that fresh goodness in the fridge or freezer and I always think of it after we have eaten some things. I did make a huge effort to take this pictures from my Thursday pick-up a few weeks back.
This is what I purchased at the truck to add to my order: eggs, yummy Ohio Maple syrup, and Pope's barbecue sauce that he makes exclusively for FFM.
As you can see, it's not difficult to come up with dinner for an entire week, if I could persuade my pregnant self to cook every night of the week. I made pulled pork sandwiches for my husband and a guest and after freezing the leftovers, we ate it two more times.
I hope this post conveys how thankful I am for FFM and all the time Trevor, Robert, and all the FFM crew put in to provide my and several hundred other families wonderful local food each week. They work in the rain, heat, and snow to pick up the food within a 75 mile radius of Cleveland and then stand out there at all the drop off locations for hours. If you have any interest in local food, I implore you to check out FFM. Fresh Fork Market has been one of the best decisions I have made to provide my family with better quality food while support our local economy. Thank you FFM.
