United States is now growing less of its own food and importing more, making us a net food importer. Most of the foods we import are fresh fruits and vegetables. And while it is good that Americans are eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, not that long ago most of our food came from local fields. One hundred years ago you could find heated warehouses full of New England Blue Hubbard squash. This squash was prized because it could be stored right through the winter and into the next Spring. Root cellars full of carrots, beets, and potatoes were very common. In the fall most people were busy canning the season's harvest and filling their pantries with enough glass jars of preserved food to get the family through the winter.

Then, after WWII the world changed. The combination of modern transportation and the increasing cost of living in the US made it possible and more economical to grow our food elsewhere and ship it here rather than to grow it locally. With fruits and vegetables being the most labor intensive agricultural crops to grow, the production of those crops has migrated over the border to where the labor costs are cheaper. With this gradual change of where and how our food is grown, there has also been a gradual change in the quality of that food. Many of our foods are now much less nutritious than they used to be. Studies have shown that the average apple and broccoli of today contains only half as many nutrients by weight as that of 50 years ago. This means that to get the same nutrients, you would need to eat twice as much.

In understanding how our food system has changed, at Farmer Dave's we strive to return to a food system similar to the one we used to have. One that is centered on sustainably grown, nutritious, seasonal food. We do not believe that access to healthy fruits and vegetables should be a luxury and we strive to ensure our CSA is affordable. In fact many members find that they spend less on their food as a CSA member than before they were a member. We are able to do this because the food comes direct from the farm. We avoid the added costs of packaging, trucking, and other distribution costs of each part the modern food system flowing through supermarkets. The direct connection to our members allows us to grow the food as it should be grown, and where it should be grown.

Thank you for trusting us to grow for you,

Farmer Dave