CSA Vegetables

This week I picked up: spinach, green lettuce, red lettuce, green onions, baby basil plant, bunch of radishes, swiss chard, kale, and pac choi.

A good summary of what a CSA is can be read in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA): An Annotated Bibliography and Resource Guide published by the United States Department of Agriculture:

In basic terms, CSA consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes, either legally or spiritually, the community’s farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production. Typically, members or “share-holders” of the farm or garden pledge in advance to cover the anticipated costs of the farm operation and farmer’s salary. In return, they receive shares in the farm’s bounty throughout the growing season, as well as satisfaction gained from reconnecting to the land and participating directly in food production. Members also share in the risks of farming, including poor harvests due to unfavorable weather or pests. By direct sales to community members, who have provided the farmer with working capital in advance, growers receive better prices for their crops, gain some financial security, and are relieved of much of the burden of marketing.

For me, there are three aspects that I’m looking forward to:

1. Eating with the seasons
   I’m used to buying vegetables from the grocery store based on what I want to eat or what’s in a recipe.  Blueberries? Not a problem.  Asparagus in November?  Yep. If my target produce is not in season locally, my store will have on-hand the produce from areas of the world where it is in season, be it California, Florida, or South America.  Moving food around the world like this uses large amount of energy just so I can have my preferred vegetable side.  I hope that by eating with Red Earth Farm’s crops this year I will become more conginzent of what I’m eating and what the side effects are of my buying and eating habits.
2. New taste treats & mixing up my diet
   I’m also excited about trying new or unusual vegetables I don’t normally eat.  I tend to get into a rut, buying the same vegetables each few weeks.  My regulars include: romaine lettuce, potatoes, onions, red peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, repeat.
3. Happy pets
   Along with my own diet, we have two guinea pigs and they will definitely benefit from the fruit (vegetable?) of our labor by having leftovers or simply new treats they’ve not had before.  Tonight they enjoyed some radish leaves, which they ate but didn’t like as much as their dandelion greens. 

Over the next 23 weeks I hope to document my milage with the program through the blog.  If you have any tips or good recipes, please share them!