As part of our Paleo diet and lifestyle, TMOTH (The Man of the House) and I have been shifting our food purchasing and consumption to locally produced items.  Initially the reason for the shift was to obtain higher quality foods, particularly meats.  As I began interacting with the farmers and people who grow food in my area my motivations for purchasing locally produced foods expanded to include sustainability of production, and support of the local economy and small farmer.

In an earlier blog post I mentioned that going to the Farmer’s Market every week was cutting into my play time.  As a result, TMOTH and I started exploring CSA (community supported agriculture) options.

Last weekend we went out to Tara Firma Farms in Petaluma.  The CSA options that they offered were attractive to me.  I could get meats (beef, pork and chicken), pastured eggs, and organic vegetables delivered once a week to a location near my home.

Tara Firma Farms offers tours of their facility on Saturdays and Sundays on the hour between 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM.  The tour lasts about an hour and shows the husbandry of the livestock, as well as discussing the CSA options.

The farm is located on 300 acres on the outskirts of Petaluma.  It has been in operation for 2 ½ years and is providing food to over 300 people.  Beef, pork, chicken and turkeys are being raised in a humane and sustainable manner on open pasture.  They have been raising organic vegetables, but meats are the primary focus.  In order to meet the needs of the CSA shares, vegetables from other local growers are utilized.

TMOTH and I were impressed with the operation and the way the property is being managed.  We have signed up to receive weekly eggs, meats and vegetables.  I’ll be picking up our first box next Monday.  I plan to start a weekly blog feature showing what we received in the CSA box along with the weekly paleo menu we plan based on the contents.

I also ordered a few unusual items this week in addition to our regular boxes.  Next week I’ll be getting some chicken necks and pork bones for the Airedale Terrierists.  They are raw fed, and I welcome the opportunity to improve the quality of their diet.  I also ordered some pig ears and pork skins.  TMOTH and I are going to see if we can make dog chewies in the dehydrator with the pig ears.  I have a plan to make Chicharrons or Cracklins with the pork skin.  I plan to subject all my loyal readers to the chronicles of our adventures with pork parts.