Olin-Fox Farms

In the last few years I've made a concerted effort to buy as much whole food as I can. From farmer's markets and independent grocers, I'm able to pick up just about everything we need to stock fridge and pantry with farm-fresh, local food. From March through November, I rarely set foot in a grocery store except to pick up the odd lemon or ginger root. But when late fall and winter strike, it's harder to eat as consciously as I'd like.Not this year. This year I researched local CSAs, stumbled on Olin-Fox Farms, and joined for the off-seasons. Honestly, the reason I chose Olin-Fox -- at random, from a list of dozens of CSAs in the Northern Virginia area -- was because they have a drop-off at one of our favorite wine and gourmet shops in Alexandria. It's a mile from where we live and on my way home from work, so I figured pick up couldn't be easier, or a better excuse to buy a couple bottles of vino. I took a chance, sent in my check, and waited.Not disappointed in the slightest. Olin-Fox grows some of the food you'll find in your bi-weekly delivery; but they also draw from a small network of other family farms as well. So your simple, brown paper bag contains a diverse and exciting array of goodies: eggs, herbs, heirloom tomatoes, squash, sweet potatoes, cucumber, kale, corn, cabbage, greens...all fresh, verdant, and mouth-watering, packaged to preserve the food's integrity. Apples have been mealy, tho -- and I *hates* me a mealy apple!!!Some CSAs ask that you contribute man-hours to the farm in exchange for your delivery. Olin-Fox doesn't, not that I would mind getting out to the beautiful Northern Neck once in a while and helping out. In the fall, prices break out to about $44 per delivery; in the winter it's slightly less. I consider this an absolute steal considering the quality and quantity of food you receive in each delivery. Eating well couldn't be easier with a CSA. And with the proliferation of CSAs, not to mention the growing locavore food movement, finding a CSA near you that fits your budget is a breeze.

While visiting Reedville by boat, I was looking for somewhere nearby to pickup some fresh vegetables when I saw this listing. First tried calling them and got message stating that the phone number was not in service. I decided to take a ride over and found nothing at the address listed.