I...am a hippie.

I'm trying out a food co-op for 2 weeks. I'm becoming one with my food and getting to know the growers, closing the gap from producer to consumer.

Hiiiiiiiippie!!

I kid, I kid. A good friend of mine, we'll protect her identity and call her Courtney Cox, is a big fan of the co-op, was interviewed on the news one day with her sons when they went to pick up their food, and is now on their board. There was a story about the co-op in the paper 2 Sundays ago, we talked about it over wine...and in a Cabernet Franc moment, I decided to take advantage of the free 2 week trial.

I placed my online order and picked it up last night. Here's what I ordered:

Asparagus

Rhubarb

Raw milk chive cheese

Beef jerky

Smoked coconut & lime sea salt

Impulse buys: natural granola bars and caramel corn w/mixed nuts

My thoughts on the experience and my goods:

Overall I'm happy with what I ordered. I've never come across a recipe that calls for coconut & lime salt, nor have I ever thought to myself "You know what would round out your culinary cabinet, J-Dawg? Coconut & lime salt." But I'll try it out as I grill more and more each week. Beef jerky and granola bars were purchased as snacks for my trip this weekend. Rhubarb...well, I guess I'll have to do some reading to figure out how to use all my rhubarb before it goes bad. Rhubarb crisp at my house!

Oh, and apparently, disciplining your child is optional when you go to a food co-op.

I don't know if I'm going to pay to join, though. My reluctance is not that I don't understand and believe in the concept. I fully appreciate eating fresh food and foods without pesticides, preservatives, and/or artificial additives. (Although, give me a box of Rice a Roni or Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and watch how quickly it disappears) My biggest hurdle is the price. Hurricane Jessie's on a budget! She's got windows to replace, doors that leak, garage openers that don't work, and potentially grad school in the mix. Is now the right time for me to be paying $8/lb for chicken breasts when I can buy them on sale for $1.99/lb?

My friend Ed Helms and I had a discussion about this a few weeks ago and according to him it's all about scale. If more and more communities made it a priority to buy organic food then the prices would come down, etc. He's too well-read for his own good. :)

I've got another week to decide. In the meantime, c'mon by for a piece of rhubarb crisp or perhaps some grilled asparagus accented with coconut lime salt. We can make homemade soap, talk about stickin' it to the man, and just commune. Ya dig?