An embarrassment of riches

9 years ago

Or maybe I should say a plethora of produce. Last fall I signed up again for the CSA run by our church. We pick up produce every week, and it starts Sunday. I got the list of what to expect this week....leeks, mesclun mix, Swiss chard, kale, radishes, bok choy. Then earlier this week, I heard from a farmer to whom I'd given money 3years ago for a share of his produce. I figured that money was long gone, but he said after a couple of rough seasons, he's back at it and would like to drop off some produce. When I opened his box, I found amazing stuff. A bag of mustard greens, garlic scapes, some garlic that looks like green onions, radishes, mint, golden oyster mushrooms, a dozen eggs with shells of varied colors and 6 loin lamb chops. This bounty was grown 5 miles from my house! We will get a little out of our comfort zone fixing some of this stuff, but we eat fairly healthy anyway and I'm delighted to be part of the slow food movement.

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Comments (7)

ravencajun Zone 8b TX
9 years ago
That's awesome! I would love to get in on something like that. We always buy produce from the farm stores and stands in season. I am delighted to help them out and I get great fresh farm goodies. I rarely buy anything in the grocery store that I can go buy from the farm. I keep a big basket of home grown tomatoes on the counter all summer. I can buy a whole box of the "not perfects" for a big savings. I don't care about blemishes they still taste fantastic.

You really are lucky! What is CSA?
jim_1 (Zone 5B)
9 years ago
CSA is Community Supported Agriculture. Anyone can buy a piece of the yearly farm crop. Some places will do a full share and half share. Once a week you get your produce - you don't really know what might be there because it is often picked just the day before.

Some CSA operations are certified organic and others are not. If there is a farmer's market in your area, ask some of the vendors for some names. They should be able to provide at least one, for they generally like the idea of keeping the money in the community and supporting a local producer.

We sometimes get more than we need/want/can eat, and so I donate this extra to one of the employees where I used to work. I know that she will use it for her good health! Our season generally goes from mid-May until late October. We learned to be 'creative' with some of the items we get.
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alisande
9 years ago
That is super! I'm familiar with that garlic that looks like green onions, as my son left a bag of it for me yesterday. I had some tonight. Not the easiest things to slice, but tasty!

Enjoy your bounty!
Deeby
9 years ago
I use scissors for green onion type things. It's a lot easier. I wanted SO BADLY to join a CSA but the pick up sites are too far away.
Adella Bedella
9 years ago
I'm not sure how to cook all of that, but fresh produce from the farm is the best.

My dad used to send fresh produce from his home garden when I was in college. It was always too much for one person and I'm not a fan of eggplant. I had some friends who lived in an apartment nearby. I used to do anonymous drop-offs of food at their apartment door as a joke. Unknown to me, they really loved eggplant. After I confessed, they said they had been cooking and eating it. At least it went to someone who appreciated it.
ravencajun Zone 8b TX
9 years ago
I am so glad you posted this because I had never heard of the CSA but after some Google research I have found several of them in my area. Some even deliver to the home. Some allow you to tell them if something in the next basket is not something you eat, they can swap it out with someone who does or it can be donated rather than going to waste. I am going to check into it and see if some of my neighbors want to get in on it too.
One of them has a chef as part of the farm and the chef includes recipes for the produce in the basket, some are original recipes. That's pretty cool.
Kathsgrdn
9 years ago
I really wish we had something like that around here. I love fresh home-grown stuff. Someday I hope to have a fenced off area away from the dogs so I can have a little garden again.

An embarrassment of riches

Comments (7)

ravencajun Zone 8b TX

jim_1 (Zone 5B)

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