Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA: have you heard of it?
Here’s how it works. For a relatively small fee, individuals and families subscribe to their local CSA program. Most CSA’s will source fresh, organic produce from local farms– whatever is freshest, ripest and in season. Every week, CSA subscribers pick up their box of produce from a local stop.
Rinse, cook, enjoy, repeat.
But why would you want someone doing your grocery-shopping for you? In fact, isn’t it a bit of a drag to meal plan when you’ve got a boxful of random vegetables, some perhaps you’ve never seen before?
These are all great questions, and I’ve had to wrestle with them recently. My husband and I now subscribe to Abundant Harvest Organics, a CSA program that we absolutely love. And yes, while it’s meant adapting to new veggies and fruits, as well as adjusting how we normally shop for groceries, it has been beyond worth it.
If you’re considering subscribing to your local CSA, I highly recommend it! Here are a few reasons why.
1. It’s cheap. Before we started subscribing to CSA, we spent about 50% of our weekly grocery budget on fresh produce. Trying to purchase local organic fruits and vegetables, even when shopping at the farmer’s market, can get pretty expensive. But at less than $23 a week, we’re guaranteed the freshest local organic produce we’ll ever find– and more than we can eat if we don’t put our mind to it! And if you ask me, that’s a pretty good deal.
2. It’s convenient. While we still go to the farmer’s market for meat and bread, and to our grocery store for pastured eggs and dairy, receiving a weekly delivery of fresh produce saves us a lot of shopping time. I no longer stand at the grocery aisle staring at the 500 choices in front of me. Instead, I drive to a parking lot five minutes away with my empty CSA crate, exchange it for a full one, and that’s that.
3. It’s healthy. Not only is it increasingly recommended that we eat more than 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, but it’s important that we consume a variety of produce. While I could probably eat this collard greens salad all week, it’s better that I’m also trying roots and tubers, cruciferous vegetables, other leafy greens and even fresh herbs. To avoid wasting produce from the CSA, we’ve learned about new vegetables and how to eat them. I daresay we’ve even loved them.
4. It’s natural. The recent farm-to-table, seasonal dining trend has a lot of history behind it. This is how people used to eat, before our food industry became a global economy. Nowadays, we’ve almost completely forgotten that some produce is not naturally available year-round. There’s something I love about being limited to eating whatever is ripe and delicious just miles from where I live. This is how people used to do it. They ate whatever their local farmers were harvesting.
5. It’s creative. Even if you’ve got less kitchen confidence than the next person, there’s nothing like jumping into this culinary adventure. Vegetables aren’t always easy to prepare, but they’re a great thing to know how to cook. Make your veggies right, and you’ll realize how sweet carrots can be, or how crunchy radishes are, or how rutabagas make a great breakfast hash. Working with these veggies have given me a new appreciation for their incredible natural flavor, color and texture– and I’ve only fallen more in love with this incredible planet we live on!
Sweet potato and wild sage: two great CSA finds!
Now comes the big question: how do we meal plan? I’m still figuring this one out, but incorporating CSA produce into your weekly diet does take some thinking ahead. Here are a few tips to get you started.
1) Arrange the produce from most urgent to least urgent. Some things (like roots and winter squash) last for days in the fridge; others should be consumed immediately.
2) Don’t force yourself into making a full recipe each meal. The other day, we roasted sweet potatoes and ate them for lunch. Not a real dish, but absolutely delicious and filling.
3) When in doubt, add it to something you know. I love adding chopped veggies to lentil soup or chili. Thinly sliced roots and fruits are great on salads. Most vegetables are also excellent in fried rice (a little soy sauce helps!). And if you’re completely desperate, throw the vegetable in a blender with some frozen fruit and drink up.
Have you or will you consider subscribing to your local CSA? What are your favorite seasonal produce right now? I’d love to know!
Of course! We love having our own garden 🙂
Thanks Cassie! My dream would be to grow our own vegetable garden… one day when we have a large enough space! Thanks for reading 🙂
Awesome Ashley. I hope you love it, thanks for reading 🙂
Yes they’re so so good! Thank you Katherine!! 🙂
I love this post and fully support CSAs and growing your own food!
This is so cool! I just looked up the csa in my area and I think I will sign up!
I will definitely look into the matter. Torts are the best low maintenance pets. (:
I love CSAs! Though I’ve only tried it once (it’s called Fresh Aloha Direct with produce straight from Aloun Farms here in Hawaii), I can’t wait to start ordering again. Our issue was that we didn’t know how to consume the veggies before they started to go bad. Definitely need to inform myself on which veggies go bad faster than the others! But thank you so much for the tips! I’m definitely going to buy a box soon!
Katherine Lou
http://www.wanderhour.com
Great!! I’ll keep them coming!
You’re going back to Ireland!! I had no idea! And yes, organic produce can be super costly, and I really wish there were ways for the US to change their policies surrounding food. I love the CSA because it means being able to buy organic and still have some money in my pocket! Maybe there will be something like this in Ireland someday 🙂
Awesome! Yes this is totally good for vegans, because it’s a good blend of leafy greens, heartier roots and fruit 🙂 I’m loving it, I hope you do too!
Awesome Heidi!! 🙂 Thanks, that means a lot to me.
Thanks girl! 🙂
Thanks girl!! You’re so kind 🙂
Aw ok that’s great to hear Denise! Produce really can get so expensive, which is why this is a good option. It does take more time, though, so also a tradeoff! Hope you’re able to start putting together meals you love!
Aw I hear you!! It can be such a challenge, I think I spent about an hour meal planning this week… haha. And thank you so so much for thinking of my interview. It was a good day. 🙂
Having access to a huge garden sounds fabulous! Definitely a dream of mine one day 🙂
Ooooh yes. We do have some people who sell raw milk at our farmer’s market. We bought a quart last time (which was all we could afford because it was $4.50, which makes a gallon about $18). But it was soooo good! 🙂 It’s really fun to wait and see what’s coming each week!
Thanks girl!! I hope you find a pickup location near you 🙂
Yes, I hear you. It’s so awesome to have a pickup time and location that works so well for us… and also having the time to cook everything! Hope you do sign up though, there are so many benefits!
Exactly!!! It’s a great thing to try over the summer when you might have a more flexible schedule. The produce is just so delicious.
There are tons of options! It’s such a good deal!
Awesome Joanna! I wouldn’t be surprised if you found one!
Hahaha that’s great, I should get a tortoise… 😉 And fresh produce is so good, you might be able to find a CSA near you!
Oooh yes that coconut sounded delicious!
It’s totally worth a try 🙂 And yes, soups and smoothies are great ways to “hide” those fruits and veggies you don’t know what to do with 😉
Oh that sounds awesome Hayley! And yes, all the produce is just fantastic.
My boyfriend and I spent a fortune on organic produce, it’s outrageous. Organic should be the number one choice I think. I really like this idea, I’ve never actually heard of this community. I am leaving to go back to Ireland in a month [ : ( ] so can’t really say this would be the best for me right now. I think it would be exciting to find new produce you’ve never heard of and create something with it. Thanks for bringing this to light to me 🙂
P.S. I’m totally bookmarking your blog because I believe it would be a great help to preparing my meals. =)
If there is an available CSA in my town, I would definitely subscribe to it especially that I’m transitioning into vegan now. My favorite produce though would be sweet potatoes and local corn. =)
I am definitely going to look into this Daisy. I always learn something new when I stop by your blog. Thanks for being so authentic, refreshing and so very interesting.
Such a good point about organizing produce from urgent to less urgent. I learned something, thank you hun!
VelvetandVino.com
Love your passion for food, Daisy – hope your tutoring business is going well & that every is swell! 🙂
Xo, Alison
http://www.simplyfairbyalisonjeanine.com
I used to cook for myself every day but then I started moving around a lot and lived in countries where produce was so much more expensive. I have been trying to get back into it and it is definitely a struggle for every single day. I usually try to make things on Sunday and freeze them for the week. This post has definitely helped motivate me to try and get back on track! Hope you are doing well!
Denise
http://www.fashionloveletters.com
Hello Daisy! Yes, I once subscribed to a local CSA program but I only lasted about a 2 or 3 months. I just didn’t know what to do with most of the things I got and I felt frustrated. Cooking meals everyday is super challenging for me because of my job and everything else I have going on but after reading this post, I am inspired to give it another try. One of my goals this year is to cook more healthy meals and to only buy what I am going to consume so going back to a CSA program I think will motivate me to plan, get creative and also be more conscious about what my family and I eat. Thanks so much for sharing. BTW, I was thinking about you on the 28th. Hope it all went well and I am sure that what ever the outcome was it was is all meant to be as everything in life is in divine order. Take care, Jeannette
http://www.msjeannieandhercloset.com
I know that there were several of these around where we lived in Michigan due to all the local farmers, though we never subscribed to any. My uncle and aunt down the road kept a huge garden–for weeks at a time we’d get all the surplus veggies we could eat for free–those were delicious!
This sounds wonderful! One thing I’ve dreamed about doing once we move and I have a source of income is to go to the farmers market weekly and find a source for dairy. I love high quality healthy food, and it’s wonderful when buying it supports those in your community. I love the sound of these boxes! I think I would anticipate receiving mine and planning around it. Thank you for sharing!
I love those post, Daisy. I knew a little bit about CSA but not enough. I really ought to just go for it & support local farmers. I will have to see where the nearest pick up location is.
:] // ▲ itsCarmen.com ▲
I’ve been a CSA member in the past, but didn’t do it last year. Pick-up times and locations weren’t very convenient. I’m determined to do sign up again this spring. I love getting creative and thinking outside of the box with the ingredients. Not to mention there’s the added bonus of supporting local farmers.
http://ohthethingsshedoes.blogspot.com/
I think my family and I are going to try this this summer. I love that it will be local and fresh produce. The other bonus? We will get things we may not have tried before. It’ll have us step outside of our comfort zone and stretch our culinary muscles, so to speak.
I seriously need to do this! Love the post!
xo
Michaela
http://michaelajeanblog.com
I’m definitely going to check if there’s one locally near Portland, Maine! Thank you for sharing! I love knowing about programs like this 🙂
lovejoanna.com
I’ve never heard of something like this where I live, but it’s certainly worth the search. My biggest issue is stuff going bad before I have a chance to use it. We have a pet tortoise which ultimately cuts down on wasted product. If something is a bit mushy for us, she’ll gobble it up no problem! I’m all about fresh produce. I cant wait for summer time and all the pop up markets! (:
http://www.accordingtokiki123.blogspot.com
I wish we had CSA’s that were affordable close to us! But I do Bountiful Baskets every other week so I get some weird stuff sometimes but I LOVE experimenting! Last week I got a Thai Young Coconut and I made homemade coconut milk 🙂
This is so amazing! I would love to try something like this when I get out of college. I think this is an excellent way to support local foods and eat healthy! It’s always a process for me to get produce at the store and to figure out what’s in season and what I could make with them. Your meal planning tips definitely help! I can’t wait to make some more smoothies this month and simply adding more fruits and veggies into my meals!
We do something similar, but they deliver it to us!! It’s called The Produce Box and it’s full of stuff from only NC farmers. You get to choose which box you would like each week and that helps with the planning aspect! I agree that it’s something worth at least trying–especially in the summer when produce is AMAZING. 🙂