CSA - Feeding My Sunshine

7 Reasons to Join a CSA

Today was our first produce pick-up of the season with our CSA. I’m really looking forward to the months ahead and I thought I would share with you some reasons to join a CSA.

CSA: Community Supported Agriculture

As a CSA member, you purchase a “share” of a local farm before the growing season begins. In my area, many farms have wait lists so it is good to think about this early (even up to a year in advance). Your share size is determined by how much vegetables you plan on eating. Are you single or a do you have a family? Are you a vegetarian or do you eat more vegetables than the average person? Once the farm is ready to harvest their first crops in the spring they schedule their first “pick-up,” which could be at the farm or at a designated location. My farm is over an hour away from my house, but once a week they deliver the produce to several areas in my town. My pick-up is less than a mile from home.

1. Support a local farmer

This is the main reason I joined my CSA. Local farmers are struggling to compete with low cost produce from large industrial farms. By purchasing your share before the season begins, they can be comfortable knowing that a bad year won’t put them out of business. Yes, it is a risk you take as the member, but also know that the members receive a generous bounty when weather conditions have been good to the farm. With payment taken care of in advance, the farmer is also able to focus more on the farm during harvest, rather than the business of pricing, selling, etc.

2. Eat more fruits and vegetables

This one is pretty obvious, but it is another amazing benefit of a CSA. Since you have already paid for the produce, you better get your money’s worth. You are certainly more likely to eat food that is already in your home, rather than having to go to the store. And next week there will be another delivery, so you must make room in the fridge! Eat up!

3. Try NEW fruits and vegetables or re-try ones you thought you didn’t like

Have you ever had or even seen a kolrahbi? Would you even know what to do with it? Thought you hated radishes? Maybe you don’t like them raw, but that recipe your farmer sent for pickled radishes seems kind of interesting. While most farms grow your usual assortment of produce, they sometimes like to throw in a few quirky items here and there. Often their newsletter will explain the items you will receive and how to best prepare them. A purple carrot? Try it, you might like it!

4. Spend less time in the grocery store

During the summer, the last place I want to be is the grocery store. With your produce taken care of, you can be in and out in a jiffy. If you plan it well, you may be able to stock up at a store once or twice a month. And look at what other items the farm may offer. Many CSAs also provide eggs, honey, bread and meat.

5. Save money on organic produce

Organic produce can be expensive to purchase, especially in a conventional grocery store. There they have to mark up the produce since it is something that doesn’t move as often. My farm is certified organic, which is nice. Some farms, while not actually certified, may still employ organic practices (certification can be expensive for a small farm). Just ask your farmer about how they do it. They are always happy to share.

6. Meet like minded people

Weekly produce pick-ups are a great way to build community. You see the same people week after week and get to know them. Like you, they are interested in where their food comes from and supporting local businesses. They may know a great source for grass-fed beef, or talk about their favorite vendor at the farmer’s market. You can also connect on different levels, like “how do you like your stroller?” (which, by the way, is a question I have asked random strangers about a million times).

7. Learn about the workings of a farm and become a better gardener yourself

As a CSA member, you can get access to a farm without actually, you know, owning a farm. Many offer a reduced price on shares if you volunteer your time and a little sweat equity for working days. Some also offer special days where you can harvest your own produce, like we did with strawberries and asparagus. While we were there, our farmer provided us with little tidbits on how they fertilize, rotate crops and which cops thrive or fail in our climate. Priceless.

So have I missed any? What do you love about your CSA? If you aren’t a member yet, have I convinced you to join?

A Day at the Farm: Strawberry Picking

This past weekend, we loaded the family in the car and headed one hour north to our CSA farm to pick asparagus. On our way there, our farmer called and let us know we would also be picking strawberries. Perfect – that saves us an entire trip!

It was a cold, dreary day. While I was picking asparagus, the rain was so cold it was almost sleeting and the kids stayed in the car with hubby. It was the tail end of the asparagus crop, and it only took me 20 minutes to pick about 5 bunches worth. By the time we moved over to the strawberry patch, the weather was calming down and the rain had mostly cleared. We were assigned a row to pick and we got right to it.

Jackson was thrilled to be on the farm. He insisted on bringing his own bucket to help pick. And by pick, I mean grab already picked strawberries out of our bucket and eat them right there in the field.

Even with Jackson’s snacking, we managed to fill an entire 5 gallon bucket full of ripe strawberries. Ella even got into it, though I’m pretty sure she only ate dirt. Josh happily reminded me, “hey, at least it’s organic dirt!”

Once we got home I was pretty excited at our bounty, though a little overwhelmed. 5 gallons of strawberries, 5 bunches of asparagus and 6 dozen farm fresh eggs. The strawberries were so ripe, I knew we needed to do something with them right away.

Thankfully, I had just read a recipe for Strawberry Honey Jam over at 100 Days of Real Food. I had never canned before so I had no idea what I was doing. By the time I had gathered the correct supplies, cleaned and hulled the berries, cooked the jam and jarred it, I was done. The kids were tired and dinner needed to be made, so I skipped the processing part and stored the jam in the freezer. I’m determined to figure out canning this summer, so I know I can try it again. I was worried that the jam was too syrupy, so I kept a jar in the fridge and tried it the next day over my yogurt. It is a little runnier than store-bought jam, but the taste is heavenly!

I used 6 pounds of strawberries to make the jam, and I barely made a dent in the berries I had. Realizing that I needed to do something quickly so they wouldn’t spoil, I decided to freeze them. Freezing strawberries is super simple and at any time I can defrost them and use them just as I would fresh ones – in jam, smoothies, muffins, etc.

How to Freeze Strawberries

Select ripe strawberries at their peak of freshness.
Thoroughly wash the berries of all dirt and debris. Don’t wash the strawberries until right before you are ready to work with them, or since washing makes them spoil faster.
Hull the strawberries and remove any mushy parts.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the berries on the sheet in an individual layer.
Place them in the freezer until hard, usually a few hours at least.
Once frozen, transfer the berries to a zip-top freezer bag. Don’t forget to date the bag – frozen strawberries are best enjoyed within 6 months, or up to one year if you vacuum seal them.

And that’s it! Super simple, and an easy way to save a fruit that may go bad. I gave Jackson a frozen one to try, and he loved it! I think I may try putting some in his water as a fun “ice cube.”

In the end, we ended up with 13 -8 oz jars of jam, 10 quart bags of frozen strawberries, and plenty of fresh ones eaten over the past few days. Not bad for a rainy Saturday morning of work!