Eating Green

I am considering embarking on a culinary adventure this coming summer. When looking at ways to eat smarter and cheaper, I came across the idea of buying beef in bulk. Yep, buying a cow. I did the math and it seems a lot cheaper to buy a cow (or half a cow). Of course I'll get all sorts of cuts that I don't normally use, but I'm willing to learn to make new meals. There's a place I found nearby that raises angus on organic feed and fields that have been chemical/pesitcide/herbicide free for at least 3 years prior to certification. I read that not only is the meat leaner and more nutritious, but tastes a lot better too. Plus if it's cheaper (or at least equivalent) to regular meat from the grocery store, or Costco, then why not?

Along the same lines I'm also considering buying whole chickens and eggs from a farm that raises them organic and lets then run around in fresh air and on fresh grass all day. These chickens I'll have to cut up myself, but I get excited at the idea of cutting up my own chickens and making soup stock and all that - like a real pioneer woman who didn't actually have to chop off it's head and defeather it. :)

I also did the math and it seems that it would be cheaper to also buy into a share of a local CSA (community supported agriculture). You get a bunch of fresh fruits and vegetables every week, grown within 20 miles and on your plate within 36 hours. I like the idea of eating local and in season foods. I'd love to have a garden of my own, but our yard isn't situated well for that. The CSA I am considering is not from one specific farm in our county, but from a group of farms.

I'll bet none of you knew that I'm secretly "green", did you? Well, I could do a lot better, but I try to do my part. I use G diapers, I recycle, and I make use of food recycling too. Not that I'm concerned for the health of the earth - when it comes to global warming anyway, mankind couldn't even come close to causing the kind of damage that a single erupting volcano could do. But God did make man the caretakers of the earth and if anyone should be environmentalists it should be Christians. I also believe God made the earth and all it's bounty specifically for our bodies, and they weren't made to handle all the chemicals and pesticides we put on our foods.

So these are my thoughts lately. I love the idea of cutting out chemicals and eating more nutritous, local, healthy food, but even more I love the idea of saving money. So does anyone out there have any words of advice on this subject? Have you used CSA's or bought a cow? Did you save money? Was it worth it? I'd love to hear about it.