LIFE'S A PEARL

We love our farmer’s market but this year we decided to try a 20 week vegetable subscription with one of our favorite local family farms.

While our farmers have always grown organically, they recently received their official certification! Which is an amazing accomplishment because there are many hoops to jump through.

As my July year of health book pick Beyond Labels shared, not all small farms have the money or time to apply for certification. Coauthors Joel Salatin and Sina McCullough encourage getting to know your local farmers and observing their practices for yourself to see if they match up with your values.

We purchased our 20 week summer produce subscription over the winter ahead of the current growing season. This type of program is considered a CSA or Community Supported Agriculture.

What is a CSA?

A CSA allows consumers to invest in a local farm’s growing season and reap the benefits come harvest time. A farm will have a certain amount of shares or subscriptions to offer for the upcoming season. When a consumer purchases a share, their return often comes in the form of a weekly produce box.

This system has many advantages for both the farmer and the consumer. Farmers spend time marketing before their busiest season. It also helps with cash flow, giving them the money upfront to then invest in seeds or equipment for the coming growing season. It also builds relationships between farmers and consumers.

The consumer gets fresh nutritious local produce and security in knowing how it was grown. It’s a great way to learn about new vegetables and get new cooking ideas. Often the produce received each week is quite a bit cheaper when you break down the subscription than it would be if you purchased the same items at the farmer’s market or stand.

There are many different CSA systems in place for all sorts of farms. Some have a set amount of produce they provide you each week depending on what’s in season. This is how ours operates. Some larger farms offer a punch card that you purchase and then each week they subtract the amount of produce you order. This allows the flexiblity to skip weeks and select the vegetables you prefer.

Although fresh produce is the most popular CSA product, you can also have a subscription with farms for fruit, eggs, meat, and even milk shares. If you’re interested in finding farms near you that offer this kind of program, Local Harvest is a great place to start searching.

 

Our First CSA Experience

I personally have been loving our CSA subscription! We get to pick up our farm box (or in our case, a paper grocery bag) every Friday afternoon or evening. While that means we don’t make it to the farmer’s market as often anymore, it also really simplifies the shopping experience.

And we get so much produce! It’s truly been an amazing value. I’ve been very surprised by how many veggies we get each week. Some weeks even include a little bit of fruit.

Our farmers grow a great variety of produce. What we receive varies week to week but the most common items seem to be onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots, summer squash, cucumber, spring greens, kale, and swiss chard. Occasionally we get beets and arugula. Right now we’re getting into tomato season!

I love that we get whatever they have ready for harvest. They make the choices so I don’t have to think about what to produce to purchase for the week. Some people might not like this aspect but we’ve enjoyed trying a lot of different vegetables. Some have completely new for us and some are just vegetables that we usually wouldn’t think to grab. Everyone gets stuck in routines even when it comes to food choices.

 

New Vegetables and How We’ve Prepared Them:

 

Pea Shoots

I love when we get a sandwich bag amount of pea shoots in our vegetable subscription! These microgreens are a great treat that pack a nutritious punch. My husband isn’t a big fan so they’re all mine.

While you could lightly cook them, I prefer to eat mine raw. I add a handful to my salads or the occasional sandwich. If we have a bunch I’ll make a little side salad just of them.

 

Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi is part of the cruciferous family of vegetables like broccoli and kale. While the leaves can be eaten, most recipes use the bulb. The bulb does need to be peeled since the outer skin is very tough and indigestible.

Once peeled the bulb can be thinly sliced to add to salad raw or cut into sticks as a snack with dips. It can also be cooked. My husband has grilled it with other vegetables as a side dish and I’ve added it to an egg noodle stirfry.

Fennel

To be honest this is one that hasn’t been a huge hit for us. Fennel has a similar flavor to anise or black licorice, which isn’t a favorite flavor of ours. While all parts of fennel can be consumed, most people eat the bulb.

It can be thinly sliced and added raw to salads or slaw. We tried grilling it without luck, the texture was still really tough on most bits.

The best option I’ve found is a pasta recipe our farmers gave us. It calls for cutting the bulb into quarters and simmering it for 20 minutes before slicing it up. The simmered water can then be used to cook the pasta in. Our pigs have enjoyed the other parts of this vegetable.

 

Vegetables We Wouldn’t Usually Grab and How We’ve Used Them:

 

Radishes

While radishes are commonly available, I’ve always thought of them as more of a garnish so they’ve never been a regular part of our diet. Our first farm bag had a beautiful bunch of these.

I thinly sliced some up raw to add a little spice to my salad. My husband grilled up the rest, roasting them on a BBQ skewer so the little ones wouldn’t fall into the flames. That method was so delicious we may need to incorporate them more often!

Basil

We’ve gotten a bunch of fresh basil leaves in our farm bag on varying weeks. While I’ve always loved the smell of basil, I haven’t used fresh basil that often.

I will add basil leaves to just about anything. I enjoy the pop of flavor I get from including a handful in my salad. Sometimes I add it to the second ferment of our water kefir with some strawberries. My husband really doesn’t like pasta salad but I love it in the summer. I make it with whatever vegetables we have in the fridge and of course add a lot of fresh basil.

My latest combination has been heirloom tomatoes, lemon cucumbers, and a shredded bunch of basil with salt, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. I love the way the flavors mix and sometimes I’ll add garbanzo beans with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Delicious!

I’d like to experiment with pesto that doesn’t have to made in a food processor. I also need to find a better way to store this herb. Whether I use the fridge or stick in a glass of water on the counter, it seems to wilt within 24 hrs. If you have any tips let me know below!

Green Beans

Green beans just aren’t something we often grab. If we’re doing convenience foods for dinner, they might make an appearance in a frozen vegetable mix. I suppose green bean casserole using canned green beans is a traditional Thanksgiving side dish for our families.

I’ve always liked them but rarely consumed them fresh. These are delicious and we look forward to the weeks when they make it into our farm bag. Plus they store well in the fridge.

Following suit with our grilling cooking methods this summer, my husband usually handles these. He puts them in a foil packet with oil, fresh garlic, and various herbs or spices to cook on the BBQ.

 

Some Fruits We’ve Been Spoiled With:

• raspberries
• nectarines
• peaches
• strawberries
• melon

 

We’re Already Sold for Next Year!

We’re halfway through our vegetable subscription. While I hope to expand my garden again next year, I definitely want to partake in this CSA again next year! We will have another – tiny – mouth to feed and if we’re lucky enough to have an excess of food, I’d love to learn to preserve it.

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What seasonal produce do you most look forward to? Have you participated in a CSA? Has it introduced you to new vegetables?