Come into the Ace Village Hardware and check out our Moore's Farm CSA pick up. Moore's Farm takes care of everything, we're just the dropoff/pick up location. http://www.moorefarmsandfriends.com

I also tried to hook up with Mellow Bellies and it took me 3-4 months to get an answer from the woman who co-ordinated it.

GGG

I may be the only one who doesn't know, but what IS Mellow Bellies?

I'll try to explain.

Mellow Bellies is a CSA. CSA = Community Supported Agriculture. The concept is pretty basic: an organization like Mellow Bellies collects local produce from local farms and brown-bags or boxes it for you to pick up (or deliver it) periodically for a fee. All sourced produce is locally grown, often seasonal, and some CSA groups let you tailor what you get and how much you get to some degree.

Actually, Here is a good explanation, and Here is a wiki page on the topic.

Mellow Bellies is not the only CSA available locally (please see GGG's post above yours). This page explains Mellow Bellies' basic operation model, which is similar to many other local CSAs.

After seeing GGG's suggestion, I think we might give that CSA a shot, because Mellow Bellies is pretty unresponsive from what I can tell, and I personally don't like anyone who is providing a service without any customer support or desire to answer emails. I thought it might have just been a fluke...which is partially why I posted here (to ask if others had the same experience).

We usually get a late start on our veggies for the year, and we've probably got another 4-6 weeks before we can harvest anything of our own. CSA seems like the way to go. I love to cook, also, so ... "mystery bags" of veggies is the kind of challenge I like, and it helps to keep me on my toes and learn how to cook various stuff to my liking.

Oh - anyone living in or around the Grant Park area, please note that Cindy Shera will be opening "The Shed at Glenwood" in the coming weeks at the new LEAD-certified green development "Glenwood Park". The Shed will serve only locally sourced foods, and the menu is reportedly going to be changing regularly (if not daily) depending on what they are able to source. Sounds like a great concept :)

Thanks for the info. Sounds like a cool concept.

The EAV Farm Market opens May 1st in the Village Hardware parking lot! Moore Farms is often present to sell as well as many of the Mellow Bellies CSA providers. Loads of local farmers, great food, music and family fun. Most weeks I will be present on behalf of Holy Comforter or presenting short gardening and sustainability talks/demos etc. for free.

GGG

we ended up doing Mellow Bellies after all, pairing up with a neighbor who got through. i figured i had to do my due diligence and come back here to say the first two deliveries have been good, with solid veggies. this week we got a huge kohlrabi, which was a nice surprise :)

will probably try Moore's Farm next time around.

Mellow Bellies has good stuff when you can get the hookup. Did you get strawberries from them? Whatever type of strawberry they have been growing is FABULICIOUS!

The Shed is opened, but I have not been. I don't know their vegetarian offerings.

I would also like to note that Kasan Red in East Atlanta Village has been quietly serving organic, locally sourced foods for over a year now. Great vegetarian and wheat free options.

GGG

yes, we got the strawberries both weeks, they're so amazingly juicy that i bit into one and it squirted dark red strawberry juice all over one of the throw pillows on my couch hehehe! the strawberries are red all the way through, nothing like anything i've found at local stores!

as for The Shed @ Glenwood ... i had a menu i'd picked up @ Halls of Fine Wine in Inman Park up until yesterday when i handed off to a friend at work :( ... looks amazing, and i remember some vegetarian-friendly dishes that sounded incredible. actually, everything on the menu sounded great...we're heading there Friday eve with friends, looking forward to it.