Every so often, we like to do a price-check.

Now, there are a whole lot of reasons why a person might be willing to pay more for organically-grown, local produce than the standard supermarket fare. The quality is better, for one -- we often see stuff at the grocery store that we would be embarrassed to sell. But, regardless, it's good to know where we stand relative to the mainstream.

We went to the Hannaford in Rutland last weekend and noted the prices of everything that was in our CSA share that week, with the price we charged at market. (Where our prices were calculated differently - by the pound versus each - we used an average size to equate them.) Of course, prices fluctuate both at the store and at the market over the course of a season, so this is just a snapshot.

So, though prices on some items are higher (green beans, notably, largely because we pick by hand versus using a giant machine), some are lower. We are charging less for tomatoes, for instance, and I'd stake my kid on the fact that our tomatoes taste better. And the total comes out pretty darn even. EXCEPT - and this is the key to CSA, really - the weekly value of a small share is $18, and the weekly value of a large share is $25. So CSA members are paying $25 for nearly $40 worth of food this week. Now, early shares were smaller, but the average so far has been $18.50 for small shares and $27 for the large shares, and the bulk of the harvest is still ahead of us, including our extra-large Thanksgiving and final shares.

In all, a good deal!

(You can see a broader analysis of grocery store vs. farmers' market pricing that NOFA-VT did a few years ago here. Their results found that organic produce was almost always cheaper at the farmers' market and that many conventional products were similar, or fluctuated.)

It's August. We're halfway through summer CSA and in the busiest time at the farmers' market. Everything is busting at the seams – the crops, the weeds, the cooler, the van when we load up on Saturday. It can be a bit overwhelming! We're trying to make sure to take some breaks, get enough rest, and remember that there are a lot of months between us and the end of the winter market in December. At the same time, it's satisfying to be pulling in so much bounty – hundreds of ears of corn, hundreds of pounds of melons. The garlic are drying down in the barn, and we've got strawberry plants due to arrive in early September, so we're prepping beds for that. So far the disease and pest pressure hasn't been too bad (knock on wood!), and weeds are are biggest battle. We went from about 4.5 acres last year to about 6 this year; I'll write soon about some of the changes and investments we've made this year to streamline and improve our practices as we grow.

We love pickles. In the fall we try to put up (or barter for) a few dozen jars of dilly beans and cucumber pickles, but during the summer itself, we don't can. We ferment.

Fermenting vegetables, like sauerkraut and traditional brined pickles, is one of the oldest preservation methods. When you put vegetables in a salt brine, only a few of the many naturally-occurring organisms can survive - and they happen to be ones that improve the flavor and nutritional value of the vegetables, while extending their storage ability. They're mostly lactobateria, the same class of microbes that turn milk into yogurt. (Lactobacteria also help preserve salami, while other fermentation processes are responsible for sourdough bread, soy sauce, cheese, chocolate, coffee, alcoholic beverages, and more.)

The real key, for us, is that fermented vegetables are quick and easy. All you need is a non-reactive container (mason jars work great), salt, water, and whatever you plan to pickle. No boiling, no vinegar fumes, no chance of botulism. You want to get the salt ratio right - that's what prevents unfriendly bacteria from moving in - but beyond that, it's pretty impossible to mess up. (And if you do mess up, there's very little doubt, and little that could compel you to eat the stinky, slimy mess you've made.)

We currently have sauerkraut, cucumbers, kohlrabi, cauliflower, beets, and a big jar of mixed vegetables in some stage of fermentation. (The picture above is the mix - cauliflower, carrots, onions, fennel stalks, garlic, and green beans with thyme.) We make a new jar every day or two, because we finish a jar every day or two. It's a great way to use up some veggies and add a healthful and tasty zing to your meals and snacks.

(Find our Basic Brined Pickle recipe here!)