Most Vermonters have heard about how the newly renovated barn at Pete’s Greens burned to the ground last Wednesday. I started drafting a post about how much I value my CSA share a few weeks ago (my third post boasting about our share), but after hearing about the fire it made my appreciation for these local foods even greater.
We love our CSA share. We absolutely adore it and anyone who knows us has heard about how fabulous we think Pete’s Greens has been at providing fresh, local produce year round.
Top 10 things I learned from my CSA Share from Pete’s Greens:
#10 We love brussel sprouts.
#9 Roasted parsnips rock. Like, seriously ROCK. Lightly coated in peanut oil and roasted for 25 minutes makes them our new favorite snack. {Here’s a super simple recipe for parsnip chips!}
#8 On The Rise pizza dough is THE BEST. (And I’ve tried a lot of ‘em so I say this with some authority.)
#7 Celeriac is the coolest, ugliest vegetable.
#6 Pete makes a mean pickle…and a pretty mean applesauce and coleslaw, too.
#5 There are so many fabulous Vermont made artisan cheeses and trying them out is unbelievably fun.
#4 Beets aren’t so bad.
#3 Baked goods made with Vermont milled flour somehow taste a little better.
#2 Making a meal with about 99% Vermont grown food in the middle of winter feels awesome. I’ll say it again–eating Vermont grown produce in the winter is awesome.
#1 The final and most important thing I learned from my CSA share is when the farm that provides your food share has a devastating fire it hits you–like a kick in the gut–that your local food source is fragile and incredibly valuable. Priceless even.
The farm was under-insured and they need all the help they can get to rebuild. If you’d like to read more about the fire or make a donation to Pete’s Greens click here! We wish Pete and his entire staff all the best of luck in their rebuilding efforts and look forward to purchasing our share again next winter.
Above is a shot I took of some of our Vermont grown food from Pete’s Greens.
