Farmers Markets vs CSA

With the farmer's market season upon us, I find myself getting more and more anxious to get out early on Saturday mornings and visit my happy place.  For some, beaches and sun or sitting by the pool on a hot summer’s day with an umbrella drink is their solace from a grueling and mostly cruel work week.  But for me, walking down rows and rows of fresh fruit, vegetables, cheese and meaty goodness, provides a certain serenity that one can only get from food.  But wait, what’s this?  Your produce is not from here?  You didn’t grow this yourself?  Yes, this is an unfortunate trend in some farmer’s markets.  You have to be careful these days in what you buy as “local” produce.  Sellers and purveyors of (fine tasting I’m sure) vegetables, are not always upfront with you on where they have sourced their goods.  One obvious giveaway is what they are actually selling.  Yes, those bananas and mangos look delicious, but I can guarantee you they did not grow them here in Minnesota.  And it’s not always the obvious items either.  I am not here to bash these food stands, but I can tell you there is hope in a grim situation.

If you haven’t heard of CSAs before, you are missing the boat.  CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture.  This is the way, my foodie friends; these are the holy grail for localvores.  These little gem farms, in a field dominated by blandness, provide you weekly with a box of produce locally grown and sometimes picked within hours of being delivered to your kitchen.  This is the new farmer’s market.  You can be absolutely positive that the vegetables you are getting were grown here, and only here, and most of the time organically.  This is a great option for foodies like me, who A. sucks at gardening, and B. lives in an apartment and can’t garden (although I am trying to grow broccoli and sweet peas indoors this year…).  Best of all, you only get food that is in season.  Meaning, you are eating the way you were supposed to eat.  Don’t get me wrong, I love pineapples in January, but realize that 100 years ago Minnesotan’s would have to travel many hundreds miles to even taste a tropical fruit.

This year I signed up for a CSA share with Featherstone Farm.  It is a lot of food, so I am splitting the share with two other people.  If you are interested in CSAs check out the links below. 


http://featherstonefarm.com
http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/csa.html

Clancy's Meat and Fish

Clancy’s Meat & Fish is a quaint little meat market nestled in the heart of the Linden Hills neighborhood of Minneapolis.  The unassuming front gives no secrets away about the extremely fresh, and more importantly, local foods tucked away in this no frills meat shop.  The shop is simple, no fancy decorations or signs needed.  “The food sells itself,” says owner Kristin Tombers.  She sources as many ingredients as possible from local farmers, and businesses.  
Tombers got her start in the restaurant business, not in the kitchen, but as a server and hostess in various restaurants..  Because of her extensive background in the service part of food, her customer service is impeccable.  As I walked in, the line to get food was almost out the door.  She has a presence about her, this warm and welcoming persona that rarely comes from the often times, “rough around the edges” attitude of butchers these days.  She knew people by name and it was obvious that the local neighborhood treated as a member of their own family as well.
Considering this mecca of meat has been open for seven years now, it is amazing that it is not elbow to elbow with people clamoring to get something tasty that Kristin and her modest crew has whipped up.
Though the shop is fairly small, they seem to carry everything the discriminating foodie needs or wants.  From local meats and house-made sausages, to rendered pork fat and various pickled treats.  They even carry local milk, eggs and cheeses.  
“Consistency is the biggest challenge running this meat shop,” says Tombers.  “Many of the farms and vendors only deliver once a week, so if we run out of something, we are out.”  Tombers went on to stress that, though it seems to aggravate the customer that is used to shopping at the mega mart grocery stores, most people would rather have the slight inconvenience of having to deal with inconsistency, than not knowing where their food came from.
The meat market is just one of their fronts.  Tombers also serves up some of the best gourmet sandwiches I have ever tasted, all the ingredients coming from the shop, except the bread.  She knows what her specialties are and let’s the bakers and bread shops excel at what they do best.  But, Clancy’s doesn’t cheat on the bread either.  They get daily deliveries from Rustica, another local bakery and coffee shop, once again keeping it local.
As we wrap up our little chat, I can’t help but notice Allison Kraus and Union Station playing bluegrass over the speakers and having a sense of serenity wash over me.  This is truly a farm to shop experience.  “Someday,” Tombers says, “we would like to start making our own cheeses, like mozzarella and cream cheeses, but that is down the road.”  Whatever is down the road for Clancy’s Meat & Fish Shop, you can bet that it will be local, artisanal and delicious.