I inquired about goat's milk and was disappointed with the outcome. The goat farmer I contacted does not sell goat's milk, just shares of a goat, which then gives you a specific amount of milk during the times that she's giving milk and leaving you fresh out of luck when she's dry. The monthly fee is more than it costs me to buy organic cow's milk at the supermarket, and I prefer cow's milk anyway. So, I guess we won't be taking the goat's milk route (thankfully - I was dreading that one a bit).
I know we don't need any more contributors to the world of ranting bloggers, but I must at least say that I'm not a fan of the "buying a share approach" to Community Supported Agriculture. I would much rather support community agriculture by going to the farmer's market and purchasing the local produce that my family chooses. It doesn't strike me as sustainable that we all pay a monthly fee to get a basket of what the farmer chooses, regardless of what we might choose.
We tried the CSA route last summer. We were disappointed that we spent such a large chunk of money on such a small variety of produce. Week after week, it was the same veggies and pretty small portions at that. I realize that using a CSA means you are eating in-season and supporting a local farm, but this just wasn't worth the money. Unfortunately in Muncie, there aren't a lot of options to choose from for this either. This year I put in a much larger garden and we've enjoyed a huge variety of local, organic fruits and veggies for much less money than the CSA ran us. Plus I can preserve all of the surplus for use over the winter. Woohoo! :)
ReplyDeleteFor the milk, the reason it's done as shares is because it is illegal in Indiana to sell raw milk. In this way, you aren't actually buying milk, but they are boarding your goat for you. Call your legislator. :-)
ReplyDelete