WWOOF CSA Basket: From farm to table. Change your life from blah to waaaaaaah!

Recently (more than a month ago – this post is looooong overdue) I was kindly given a taster basket of organic fruit, vegetables and breads from the lovely folks from WWOOF CSA Korea. Aside from being bowled over by the generous initiative, I was enamoured by the freshness of the produce, bursting with colour and flavour that has unfortunately become out of the ordinary. Whilst I always support local produce, I must admit that what I usually buy for my personal use is sometimes not always organic. Whilst the dirty dozen is always organic, I usually frequent my local ajumma market as her produce quality is amazing. However, with the convenience, quality, seasonal variety and the knowledge that I am supporting local farmers who believe in the same ethos as I do, this will all change for the better as I am now signing up to receive my weekly basket of produce.

So, to start from the beginning. What exactly is WWOOF? It’s an acronym for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms which is an international movement with non profit organisations in over 100 countries. They have programs between WWOOFer’s and hosts where you work on their farms, planting or harvesting produce etc in exchange for food and accommodation.

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, which is a mutually supportive relationship between producers and consumers. The benefits are the farmers are able to have a reliable market for a variety of products and the consumer is able to attain fresh and organic produce from responsible, local farmers. It’s a win-win situation for everybody.

Whilst WWOOF CSA is a part of WWOOF Korea, it is technically a seperate entity with specific farms for the CSA products. WWOOF Korea has farms across the entire peninsula from Jeju-Do to Ulleung-Do, however the majority of the CSA produce comes from Paldang, in the Namyangju region ofGyeonggi-do. Paldang is the base of WWOOF CSA operations where the baskets are packed and delivered from, whilst the Namyangju region is the biggest organic farming district in South Korea.

Another reason to support this movement is that for such a dense population and a country which has made itself proud and renowned for their ability to develop and grow in the face of adversity, is that surprisingly and unfortunately, South Korea has one of the lowest food self sufficiency rates out of all the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries. Standing at around 50% self sufficiency, this percentage drops to 26% when looking at rice, grains, wheat and barley. Drastically low numbers considering South Korea is an extremely patriotic nation that not only eats ALOT of rice, but prides itself on its cuisine and supporting the fellow man.

So, the basket. In a country where we quite often feel foreign, no matter how long we have lived here for, it is a lifesaver to be able to receive quality produce we can trust within a delivery mode we are familiar with. The baskets are delivered weekly, to any locations in South Korea, with two sizes available, whether you are cooking for one or cooking for four. They also have a Taster Basket which allows you to try out a single basket before committing, or perhaps giving the gift of sharing to introduce friends or family to the concept. The baskets contain a variety of seasonal produce, eggs, breads and condiments, and can be altered to suit vegan or gluten-free (no bread) lifestyles. I could waffle on however will spare you the pain and instead click on the link to find out more.

Sign up today!

“In a world where  handful of conglomerates own our food supply, down to actual patents on seeds and the rampant use of chemical pesticides, herbicide, fungicides, fertilisers and GMO’s is a status quo, we are in dire need of a correction.”

So what did I think of the basket? As mentioned before, the quality, freshness and variety of the produce was top shelf baby. The cabbage so green and cabbagey. The strength of the flavour made it seem like I had been previously eating dishwater texture like food. The carrots were so bright I needed sunglasses and so sweet that I munched one straight up. The apples where so crisp and sweet that they were devoured straight up, no recipe could do these babies justice. When I have produce this fresh, I find it difficult to not enjoy them in their natural glory, no added salt, sauces or anything necessary. However for the sake of the blog and to also inspire those who like a bit more spice in their life, I also made a chili and an easy peasy vegetable hash with eggs.

Bean and vegetable chili (onions, cabbage, carrots and potato from WWOOF CSA)

Vegetable hash with eggs (cabbage, carrots, potato, onions and eggs from WWOOF CSA)

Vegetable Hash with eggs
A super easy recipe that allows the natural wondrous flavour of the vegetables to be enhanced!

Ingredients
(For best results, use WWOOF CSA produce!)

1/4 cabbage
1 potato
1 carrot
1/2 onion
1tbsp garlic (yes tbsp – I love me garlic)
2 red chillies
1 tbsp coconut oil
salt and pepper

2 eggs

Method
1. Chop all vegetables like this 🙂

2. Warm coconut oil in pan. Throw in all veges and lightly saute for 2 minutes over medium heat. Season as desired with salt and pepper.

3. After 2 minutes, make 2 holes for the eggs. Crack eggs in the hole. A trick I do to seal the eggs is add a tsp of cold water to the pan, cover with a lid or foil, and let the steam seal the top of the eggs.

4. Cook until eggs are done to your liking.

5. Serve immediately and sprinkle with cracked pepper. Eat immediately and enjoy the rest of the day.

Also included in the basket were breads, tofu cake and egg omelette. Although I avoid gluten, these were gobbled quickly by my bread-loving boyfriend who asked “When are you gonna get more of this?”

Soon, my dear, my next basket is on its way from WWOOF CSA, make sure you get yours too!

http://wwoofcsa.com/join/
https://www.facebook.com/KOREAWWOOF?fref=ts