This has been my first year participating in a CSA: Community Supported Agriculture. Basically, I bought a share in a farm in Wisconsin, along with several hundred other people. Then, May-October, I got a box every two weeks of produce like you see below. I chose to get a box every two weeks because I'd never done it before, and I wanted to make sure I used up everything from a box before another one was delivered. Also, it was cheaper. ;) However, it we can afford it, I think I might like to do one box every week next year! This has been a fantastic first year for me. :)
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| This was the box of food I picked up yesterday. It's a little bit less "quantity" than normal because of the larger items. |
Things I liked about the CSA:
1. Everything was in season (duh). But I really appreciated that! I wanted to learn to eat the things that were in season NOW, not shipped from a continent away and kept refrigerated forever to be at my table. This also made my menu planning much different and much easier, in a way. I waited until my box arrived (or when I got the email telling me what I would be getting), THEN I planned my meals based on what was given to me. I feel very "one with the earth." ;) 2. Everything was local.
3. Everything was organic.
4. The pick-up was very close to my house, and my parents could also pick up for me, if I couldn't make it in time. It was right down the street from their house!
5. The farmers wanted you to enjoy the boxes...they would let you know ahead of time what was coming, they would explain by email and newsletters what each vegetable was and how to best store it, and they would even provide recipes! How much easier can it get than that??
6. The choices were already made for me. I just had to become a little more well-rounded in what I ate and cooked! I loved having to cook something new....something that I might not have chosen for myself in a store...time to grow up already, right?? :) I love going to the St. Paul Farmer's Market, but some Saturdays I just am too lazy, tired, busy...and so I don't go. Then you miss out!! Not so with the CSA. Also, Farmer's Markets are too easy for me to buy what I am comfortable with...and I wanted to be stretched a little too. I wanted a bit of "forced adventure." ;)
I know there are lots of other ones, and EVERY state and area has some to choose from! It's a really fun thing...you should give it a try! :) These tomatoes could NOT be beat!
* I hear a lot of people say they don't want to do a CSA because they think there will be lots of food they don't know what to do with / don't want to eat. Honestly, I only had to look up how to cook ONE item the entire season, and the only item I flat out refused to eat was the beets...because they taste like dirt. But I did lovingly give them to people to adore them! :)
