LocalHarvest outlines the basics…”a farmer offers a certain number of ’shares’ to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a ‘membership’ or a ’subscription’) and in return receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.”

Cool stuff, huh?!  We think so.  You can read up on more of the benefits here.

We’re a member of LIFE Farm for the extended growing season April-October!  We’ve received three shares so far, mostly consisting of leafy greens, some herbs, radishes and things we’ve never tried previously like pea shoots and yukina savoy.  We sauteed the pea shoots in olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper — they were surprisingly really tasty.  We’ve not yet cooked up yukina savoy.  It’s a good thing we’re open to new foods!  And you should probably like surprises (as I really do.  well, to clarify, it’s the good surprises I really like, so don’t bring any bad surprises on me ok?).  You receive what’s fresh and ready to harvest.  That’s the best.  And it all comes from within 60 miles of home, so that’s even better!!

If you’re interested, look to your local farmers market for vendors offering memberships.  Or, check on LocalHarvest to find them.

Here’s a photo of our second week’s share, a bounty of spinach, arugula, mixed greens, swiss chard, radishes.  Cherry tomatoes made an appearance last week!

Last Sunday for the AFC Championship game, we watched and celebrated downtown @ Scotty’s Brewhouse.  Cheers to good wings, big tvs, rabid fans, and clanking beer glasses!  If a car horn has a life-span, we certainly shortened our Honda’s after the game.  It was no 06-07 AFC Championship celebration, but it was still very thrilling.  The last time we were amongst crazed fans celebrating a Colts win downtown was on February 4, 2007.  That’s when we won the big one, and it was a feeling like no other!  Below is footage from the post-game celebration.  The first ten seconds make the whole video.  I’m sure there were some dead car horns after that night.

Enjoy, and get ready for 2/7/2010!

There’s one more gift left this season — it’s one to give yourself and your family.  One that will bless you for many years.  It will make you wiser; it will make you better.  It will light a spark and can change your life.  Really!  It IS the gift that keeps on giving.  And it’s one we gave ourselves a little over a year ago.  It’s Financial Peace University, and it knocked our socks off.  We believe it’s so great that we want to give one of our Bloggersock readers FREE TUITION!  So read on…

In this month’s issue of Real Simple magazine (awesome mag, by the way!), the following thought is shared: “Wealth consists not in having great possessions but in having few wants.” -Ester De Waal, Seeking God: The Way of St. Benedict

Now doesn’t that say it all?  Sure makes it easier to live.  Sure frees you to do the things you really want to do.  Our insatiable desire for more, for bigger, for better is grotesque in many cases.  Gluttony has spread far too wide, and it’s become way too normal to the point that we’ve lost all focus; we don’t even get it.

Thankfully, financial literacy is making a comeback, and it’s time to get on the bus!  Single or married; children or none; deep in debt or not at all — we say everyone can benefit from gaining the knowledge and experience of FPU.  While the FPU lessons are not all that earth-shattering (and you may have heard them before), they are presented in a way that forces you out of the haze, that shows you how to live outside the norm.  Learning to live with fiscal responsibility is a course everyone should take and pass.  And learning alongside your spouse, partner, family member or classmate is the powerful key to this education.  It’s like an exercise buddy — get one, and your chances of success increase greatly.  If you aren’t on the same page as another in your household, it’s a problem.  Solve it.

Classes are offered through a local church.  Find a class in your area here.  Then make a commitment to yourself, along with your spouse (if applicable), that you want to “live like no one else” as Dave so aptly puts it.  TO WIN TUITION ($99), LEAVE A COMMENT HERE WITH THE DATE AND LOCATION OF YOUR CLASS, ALONG WITH YOUR AFFIRMATIVE STATEMENT TO GO!  We will pick ONE commenter at random on New Year’s Day, so get your comments in before then!

If you are a FPU supporter and/or have enjoyed the experience, please share your inspiration too!