CSA Week #1

Once again this year, I was not able to get my little raised garden plots ready for planting in time to do serious vegetable gardening. Two years of neglect due to doing grad school on top of a full-time job means a garden overgrown with weeds.

About the time I realized that my dreams of a veggie garden were not going to happen this year, I got a postcard from Farmer Bill and Annie, a small farm that I drive by nearly every day. I have bought a lot of veggies from their farm stand over the years. Their postcard offered me a share in their CSA.

CSA = Community Supported Agriculture. I, the consumer, pay upfront for a share of the farmer's production. The farmer gives me fresh food every week. The farmer has a guaranteed, stable income and can plan what to plant. I have guaranteed fresh food with less work than tending a garden, and I am keeping a farmer in business.

CSAs are being offered by several farmers in my area. Some offer a very wide range of food, including meat, poultry, veggies, fruit, and honey. Some require the purchaser of a share to also contribute labor. In my case, you could not beat the price - $300 for fresh food from mid June until mid October, and no work on my part except for returning the bag or box that my food comes in. And, do you remember, I drive right by the place almost every day!

Today was week one of the 2009 CSA, and this is what we got:



Three heads of lettuce and a bag of mixed greens. Swiss chard. Green onions. Herbs. And a cucumber from their greenhouse. Plus, they included a couple of recipes and a food preservation tip.

I'm going to like this a lot!

We're headed out of town Thursday night to visit my folks in Cape Cod, and there is no way we will be able to eat all this before we go. I talked with my stepmother today and offered to bring the bounty with me, and she was happy to say yes. Hooray, I can share!

I think we will be eating a lot of vegetables this summer...

Comments

  1. booJune 18, 2009 at 6:10 PM

    YAY! That is what CityFresh does here. So cool. The freshest stuff around and with the least amount of carbon in the air for it too. Gotta love the locals.

    ReplyDelete

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