C.S.A. - Davis's Greenhouses

For those interested in community-supported agriculture, there is now an Indiana drop-off for produce from Davis's Greenhouses.  (Davis's is taking over customers from Misty Morning Farms, which is no longer operating.) Thanks to Barb, Andrea and Allison for doing some of the legwork to connect us with this CSA!

Free-range eggs will be provided through them as well.  Full share will include one dozen per week; half share will include one half dozen.

Davis's is not certified organic, but Tom Davis, the owner, used the term "naturally grown."  He tells me they use plant food and if they are forced to spray, it is the same kind of spray that organic farmers use.

Click here to visit Google Docs for the produce list. 

 If you have further questions about the eggs or the farming practices, please give Tom Davis a call at (814) 948-9202 or send him an email at davissgreenhouses@yahoo.com.

Here are some more details from Tom Davis:

DAVIS'S GREENHOUSES & PRODUCE

VEGETABLE & FRUIT  C.S.A

WHAT IS COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE (C.S.A) & HOW DOES IT WORK?

Community Supported Agriculture is a partnership of mutual commitment between a farm and a group of subscribers forming a direct link between the production and consumption of food.  Subscribers cover a year's farm budget by purchasing a "share" of the harvest in advance.  Subscribers then receive a weekly portion of the farm's product during the production season.  Davis's Greenhouses & Produce C.S.A. is seeking subscribers ready to embark on the enjoyment of sustainable local vegetables and fruits.

Signing up by June 1, 2012 insures your full 20 weeks membership.   

ABOUT DAVIS'S GREENHOUSES & PRODUCE

Davis's Greenhouses & Produce is located on Davis’s Farm on Spruce Rd off of Rt 580 between Uniontown and Pine Flats. As a member of C.S.A, you can receive fresh produce from early June through October. We will offer vegetables, salad greens & some fruits as they become available.

Weekly delivery will be via picking up at the Greenhouse or at specified drop-off points.

MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS & PRICES

A Full Share is ideal for families.

A Half Share is ideal for couples or singles.

Full Share Prices:

            $300      20 weeks

Half Share Prices:

             $150     20 weeks

 To join this CSA, you must fill out and return this form along with payment to Davis's Greenhouses.

photo credit: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Butter, delicious butter

Thanks to Allison for this helpful picture of Whole Foods' store prices on Kerrygold butter! 

Allison must really be a fan, because she also posted this one from Sam's Club, which sells the 500 gram size (1 lb, 1.6 oz.) for about $7.00.  Thanks, Ali!

If you're on our Facebook page, you may have seen the group's conversation about this butter a few weeks back.  Here are some excerpts pertaining to people's reasons for choosing Kerrygold:

From Hillary:
"It's Irish butter made from grass-fed cow's milk. I haven't actually tried it yet, but it's supposed to be wonderful and good for you too!"

From Rebekah:
"Giant Eagle has it.  I bought the unsalted stuff and it is AMAZING!!!"

From Elaine:  
"Giant Eagle has it for $4.19 a block; the cheapest place I've bought it is at Trader Joe's -it's $2.74 a block there. I've written Wal-Mart and requested they stock it in Greensburg We could request it for Indiana."

Elaine also added:
"Wal-Mart is trying to provide more organic and other healthier choices. I think requesting it as a group is a great idea; demographics believe that every letter/email sent represents about 100 people so making requests as a group would be terrific. Groups represent buying power to companies. ...

... Wal-Mart had a form that we filled out while we were there and the other stores just sent us to their website. Communicating through the websites seem to be the way the stores accepted requests."

So the idea has been thrown out to contact local stores via their Web sites or by requesting products in person if there's a product we'd like to see offered for sale.  Out of curiosity, has anyone done this, and have you seen any results?  Feel free to share your comments below!


As a bonus, we live very close to Amish country and have ways to purchase local, raw milk butter from the Amish.  The last time I personally purchased it, I paid around $3.85 per pound.  The color and taste were delightful.  Here it is next to a stick of butter from a local dairy:

We love seeing that beautiful golden color, indicative of nutrient-dense butter from a cow feeding on rapidly growing grass in the spring and fall!  (And you can buy butter in bulk then freeze it for safe-keeping.)  Even Ma from the Little House books yearned for that gorgeous hue - she colored her pale winter butter with the juice of a carrot!


If you'd like to be a part of a buying group for Amish butter or Kerrygold butter, get in touch with the group on Facebook, or send an email to greenlifeindiana (at) gmail.com.  


For more information on nutrient-dense butter from grass-fed cows, check out The Skinny on Fats over at the Weston A. Price Foundation, or read any of the traditional food blogs in the column to the right.  Move over, margarine!

Local Business Spotlight: Glick's Bulk & Discount

There's a great little Mom-and-Pop store called Glick's Bulk & Discount less than 10 minutes outside of town on Route 286 East.  I have now been there twice and am beginning to realize what a gem it is!  They have a wide selection of spices, baking needs, candies, jams, honey, pasta, meats and cheeses (John F. Martin and Sons), dried fruit, local eggs, and many other grocery items - almost all purchased in bulk so that it's sold very cheap.  In my mind, I could even begin to call it "Indiana's Trader Joe's" - as long as you ignore the fact that they don't have fun balloons and fresh produce and exotic sauces and ... OK, well, there's a lot you have to ignore.  But as far as getting some rare items and getting them cheap, Glick's has a lot to offer!

For instance, for the gluten-free diet, there's sorghum flour, rice flour, GF oats, GF brownie mix and chocolate chip cookie mix, lots of Bob's Red Mill items, GF pasta, and many other GF flours for baking (too many for me to write down in my little book while shopping!).  I got a 3-pound bag of Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oats for around $7.00 - pretty reasonable for a specialty item like this.  You can also buy small containers of arrowroot powder for $1.00-$3.00, which is better, in my budget, than buying a large bag at the grocery store for over $6.00.

Here's a list of some noteworthy items I found at Glick's (there are tons more!):

• Honey (raw "rough" honey, Yoder's, and others), some for around only $10.00 per quart
• Flax seeds and flax meal, $1.00 for 0.5 lb.
• Polenta
• Flake coconut
• Coconut oil, $6.29 per quart (though I could not see info on its processing)
• Carob powder
• Butter (John F. Martin and Sons, Hillendale Farms)
• Dried fruits
• Dried vegetables
• Vegetable chips
• Tons of gluten-free baking supplies
• Arrowroot powder
• Bob's Red Mill flours 
• Stevia
• Maple syrups
• Farm fresh local eggs
• Tons of spices, including rare finds like whole nutmeg - all very well-priced

Glick's is located at 5381 Hwy. 286 East (before you get to Clymer) and is open every day but Sunday (M-Th. 8-6, F. 8-7, Sat. 8-5). Ph: (724) 349-5453.

What about you?  What local businesses would you like to tell us about?  If you have a place you'd like to share with us, send us a message or leave a comment!