CSA

In my recent efforts to eat healthier, I decided to go out on a limb. I wanted to eat more fresh produce and challenge myself to eat kinds I wouldn't normally think to buy. The solution? Community Sponsored Agriculture, or CSA.

Here's the gist: a local farmer offers a certain number of "shares" to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables/fruits/herbs. 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. The member benefits by receiving weekly fresh produce (like we're talking as fresh as it can get) and eating what is in season. The farmer benefits by receiving payment early in the season which helps their cash flow.

I first heard of CSAs when we moved to Tennessee and knew right away I wanted to join one some day. I just didn't think that some day would be anytime soon. I always thought they were too expensive. But it turns out if you split it with a friend it is surprisingly affordable. I get to try new fresh, local produce every week and don't spend much more than I would have at the grocery store anyway.

We're in our third week. Here's what this week's (and a few items leftover from last week) share consisted of:

-Turnips
-Onion
-one ball zucchini (never knew such a thing existed)
-a handful of small red potatoes
-broccoli
-Napa cabbage
-kale
-raddishes
-garlic
-zucchini
-the biggest head of lettuce I've ever seen. I think it was called red leaf buttercrunch

The first couple weeks we also tried bok choy (different but not bad), cauliflower, tons of butter lettuce, and the most amazingly sweet strawberries I've ever eaten.

I've been trying to incorporate at least one item into our dinner every day. Tonight we had the potatoes and a salad. Even picky James, whose diet generally consists of milk, milk and more milk, ate the salad.

Thanks to the zucchini will be lots of zucchini bread around our house later this week and I tried turnips for the first time yesterday (might not be buying a ton of those in the future).

Now I just have to figure out what to do with that Napa cabbage. Any ideas?