Bloggers in Italy, I need your help! Anybody know of a CSA farm (Community Supported Agriculture) in Lombardy?Since December, Gabriel, myself and another couple have split a weekly 5-kilo shipment of winter veggies from Parco dei Buoi, an organic, family-run farm in Molise, Italy. If any of you out there live near Molise, I really recommend Parco dei Buoi. On the whole it has been wonderful: loads of fresh veggies without trips to the markets with the pushy crowds, my introduction to the glorious broccoletti, recipes for what to do with that bumper crop of spinach. It's almost ideal. The only problem is Molise is really far away. Milan's way the heck up near Switzerland and Molise's almost as far south as Naples. Isn't the point of community supported agriculture that you should actually belong to the same community as the farmer? More importantly, how can we look down our holier than y'all noses at everybody when we're only eating organic and helping support a family farm but not doing it locally?
But seriously, I really love this CSA experiment we've conducted these past few months but the farm sends a special truck all the way up here just to ship our vegetables and what do you bet the truck goes back empty. Wouldn't it be great if we could get the same deal from a closer farm? All the veggie-goodness with half the carbon footprint? Does anyone out there know of a Community Supported farm in Lombardy (or even anywhere in Northern Italy) that's looking for a few more customers? Anyone?
Oh I hope you can find one nearby.
ReplyDeleteHere in the SF Bay Area there are many produce delivery services that people think are CSAs but really, they are wholesalers just boxing up and delivering tasty organic veggies, but they aren't necessarily local. Sure, it's a great way to get organic veggies but not really the point (in my opinion). So many of our local CSAs have stopped the CSA portion of their farms, which is very sad.
Good luck!
I hope you find some one Susan, thats such a great idea. We did something like that here, we never knew what we were going to get when the basket arrived. Fresh flowers were always included among beautiful greens, broccoli, and other delicious veggies. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you!
ReplyDeletei don't know of any, but i sure know me some broccoletti! i miss that, among many other things, here in texas.
ReplyDeletewill you please fill up on italian spring for me? thank you, ma'am :)
That's a great idea. My wife and i (we also live in Lombardy) are wanting to try something like that too... so, let's share our discoveries.
ReplyDeleteHi Cherry, Gosh! That's terrible. I guess you have to be really careful about what you're getting.
ReplyDeleteHi Marie, I love that you can do that in Chicago. What's the organization called?
Hi Tracie, Wow! Long time no see. I read your recent post, Mystery Woman, and I'm so intrigued! I'll dedicate my next orecchiette con broccoletti to you if you dedicate your next tamale to me, deal?
Ciao Dario, Ho sentito da Rowena di "Rubber Slippers in Italy" che c'è un sito "La Mappa del Cibo Locale". Meraviglioso! Mettendolo su Google, ho potuto cercare "consegna a domiciliodi prodotti di fattoria" in Lombardia. Ho trovato soltanto una fattoria, "Ortosano" a Cantù, CO (vicino Erba mi sembra) che può fare spedizioni di frutta e verdura biologica ma devi tu scegliere ogni volta quello che vuoi fare arrivare. Io volevo pagare un abbonamento e fare arrivare 5 kili di quello era in stagione ogni settimana, senza dover pensare di chiedere ogni volta la spedizione. Sto cercando in regioni vicini a Lombardia a questo punto.
Susan I just read "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan and he talks about CSAs quite a bit. Good luck with your search.
ReplyDeleteEh, Susan... piccolo il Mondo, vero?
ReplyDeleteSi', sono proprio io il marito di Rowena, e proprio io le ho suggerito quel motore di ricerca.
Mi chiedevo se avessi trovato altre informazioni da condividere...
Ciao
dario
http://italianroots.blogspot.com/
Ah... quasi dimenticavo...
ReplyDeleteprova a consultare anche questo sito:
http://www.mondobiologicoitaliano.it/homepage.html
ciao
dario
http://italianroots.blogspot.com/
va bene :)
ReplyDeleteSusan - Fattoria Giusi in Ombriano (fraction of Crema) there is a 40 acre agriturismo. They are 100% organic and serve many of the fruit-vegetable stands and higher end restaurants in the area surrounding crema. They do primarily vegetables but also have strawberries, a few rabbits, pheasant, peacock, and 10-20 pigs (they make traditional dried meats all in house).
ReplyDeleteWhile a very small farm they are well known among the Milanesi for their Salami, Culatello, and Salsiccia.
Hi David, That;s great! Do you know how I can get in touch with them? I googled them and got nothing.
ReplyDelete