Fresh Fork Market Expands Their CSA Service to the Akron Area

Fresh Fork Market Delivers Bags of Fresh Local Foods to Akron

by Brit Charek

The first time I had ever heard of Fresh Fork Market was at Bizaar Bizarre Cleveland's last show in February where I was a vendor and Fresh Fork set up a booth to promote their upcoming summer season. I was shocked by how poorly I did on their quiz about Ohio agriculture and intrigued to learn more about how I personally could support Ohio farmers and gain access to produce for my family that is grown locally.

Fresh Fork is a weekly subscription service to fresh, local goods and fortunately this year  were able to expand their service to the greater Akron area. They bring a truck out every Saturday morning to Copley-Fairlawn High School. If you're interested in registering for the rest of the season, you can click here to register on their website.

Fresh Fork delivers to Copley-Fairlawn High School on Saturdays

We're already in Week 3 of their summer season, which goes for 22 weeks. Basically, you sign up for a subscription, pay a one-time fee that covers the cost of the reusable bags, and then receive a CSA (community supported agriculture) package every week-- it's quick and easy. The contents of the bag vary from week to week, depending on what foods are in season. You can choose from a variety of package sizes, and there are options for vegetarians and vegans as well as omnivores. Also, there are always extra items that you can add to your order if you choose. Last Saturday I picked up some delicious locally-made cheese that was washed in Akron's own Thirsty Dog beer. 

This delicious cheese was washed in Siberian Night, a beer from Thirsty Dog Brewing Company. Did you know you can tour the Brewery in Akron for free on Saturdays? Check out our post here.

In addition to providing a handout with information about each item and how to prepare it, Fresh Fork's website has an abundance of resources to help customers figure out how to use up the items in their bag. (What do I do with kohlrabi? I've never even heard of it!) There's also a handful of blogs, like A CSA Adventure, that offer suggestions and recipes every single week.

Fresh Fork actually got their start providing local produce to local restaurants, giving chefs an affordable and convenient option to buy local produce, which not only creates a better product for the restaurants, but helps sustain the community. In 2009, they expanded their service to include selling directly to individual customers. They hope to continue expanding their services with each coming season, and Akron Empire hopes they will be able provide more options for shoppers in the Akron area in the future.

You can learn more about Fresh Fork by checking out their website, check out their blog to see what type of product they carry and how to use it, or by liking them on Facebook. There's still time to sign up for the 2012 season!

What are your favorite things to do in Akron in the summer? You can send us suggestions for posts at: AkronEmpire [at] gmail dot com