Taking the Plunge - Joining a CSA

I did it. I finally joined a CSA. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. It works a bit differently than the usual way you buy your produce. In a CSA you buy a share for that growing season, you pay an up front price and then each week you pick up a box with your share of that weeks harvest. The CSA farmer tries to grow a great assortment so your box has a good variety. Since it was my first year, I opted for a bi-weekly box. I love the idea of a CSA. I think it is good for local economies, I like knowing that my farmer doesn't use a multitude of pesticides, and I like that my produce wasn't trucked across the country using lots of petroleum in the process. The challenge for me will be to use my box of produce and trying not to waste any if possible. An even bigger challenge, however, is that I grew up avoiding vegetables, so I haven't worked with many greens, root vegetables and squashes. I want to incorporate more greens into my diet, so finding recipes I like will be an adventure. I have been preparing for over a year now by purchasing some books to help such as Greens Glorious Greens! byJohnna Albi and Catherine Walthers and From Asparagus to Zucchini by the Madison Area CSA. There are also some great CSA recipe websites. If I do stumble upon any great dishes, I'll pass them on.

If you want to find a CSA in your area check out Local Harvest.

Links for storing and using your CSA produce:

Maritquita Farms - Great resource for vegetable info and recipes!

Live Earth Farm CSA Notes from Debbie's Kitchen A ton of recipes, they've been adding recipes since 2002.

Anchor Run - Lots of recipes

This post is linked to Grain-Free Tuesdays.