In Praise of Local Farmer

Made it just in time Saturday for the start of the Community Farm Alliance Annual Meeting and Conference at Blue Licks State Resort Park between Paris and Maysville. (communityfarmalliance.org ) We had not visited this part of Kentucky before. We are new members of CFA, and did not know what to expect other than a lunch featuring local food! Sounded good to us! Seriously, the opening, keynote speaker, Michael Jacoby Brown gave a presentation on what it takes to grow an organization. After a short break, I attended a session reporting on the "Stone Soup" dinners in Louisville. The vision of the group is to grow a "supportive, inclusive community where everyone learns to cook with fresh, healthy food from a flourishing market of sutainable local farms." ( http://stonesoupky.org/ ) In the enthusiasm of the moment, I signed up to lead one in 2010. Right now, don't have a clue. I'll have to get back to you on that.
Ah, the lunch. We feasted on local boiled potatoes, stewed tomatoes, collards with ham (even non-collard liking Conrad liked these - very tender), buffalo stew, Weisenburger Mills biscuits and cornbread and apple cobbler.
There were two after lunch sessions I attended. The first explained a variation of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) project run by a church. Conrad and I both applauded the effort, but doubt it could done on a larger scale.
The second presentation featured a farmer who actually makes a living with 12 subscribers to a CSA and a representative from the University of Kentucky talking about their farm and CSA program. We now know a heck of a lot more about CSAs than we did before.
The original intent of the CSA is a contract between farmer and consumer. The consumer pays up front for a subscription of so many weeks of food, usually produce, sometimes also eggs, or meat. There is no guarantee however, as the farmer is at the mercy of the weather. The upfront payment helps the farmer pays for his costs, and if the weather and the bugs hold out, the consumer enjoys a tasty season indeed.
There have been some variations of the CSA and that was what the workshops were about.
And then we ate local food again! Kenny's Cheese! Purnell's Sausage balls. Deviled eggs.
We were glad we attended and stayed on to enjoy the park. After a walk, it was time to eat again!
State resort parks have restaurants and this evening it seemed everyone from miles around came to take advantage of the abundant buffet. But the wait staff took it all in stride, and folks were seated quickly enough. Just when I thought I couldn't possibly eat anymore, I tasted the fried catfish filets. Absolutely, some of the best I have had. That is just plain good frying technique. So, yes, I had a little more. But, no, I did not have buffet for breakfast the next morning and did not need "lunch" till 4 pm the next day!