CSA: Week 1

Week 1 of our CSA share has FINALLY arrived! I picked up our share at noon and then made quick work of washing up our produce and getting it stored away. It was so exciting to unpack the box – a few of the veggies were completely foreign to J and I, but with a bit of googling and some help from Facebook friends we eventually deciphered everything that came in our box. Here’s this week’s rundown:

CSA veggies for the week

  • Green Leaf Lettuce
  • Swiss Chard
  • Tokyo Bekana
  • Fennel
  • English Cucumbers
  • Picolino Cucumbers
  • Funky Carrots
  • Celeriac
  • Garlic Scapes
  • Strawberries

 

To be perfectly honest, I’m not even sure what we’re going to do with some of those, haha. BUT I’m sure trusty Google will provide us with some new and exciting recipes to try. Tonight we stuck with salads using the lettuce and naturally dug full force into the strawberries as well :)

Since I transported our goods home in cloth grocery totes, the cleaned veggies needed somewhere to be stored more permanently. I recently purchased some mesh (think lingerie bags) and linen bags to store fresh produce. They work like a charm and wash up great – not to mention they are much more eco-friendly than the plastic options at most grocery stores. We’ll be sticking with these handy reusable options when we hit up our regular stores as well.

produce bags drying on the laundry line

I’ll let you know how we end up using all of these “mysterious” veggies this week! Can’t wait to get to work :)

Carrots, apples and lettuce straight from the winter market! 

Carrots, apples and lettuce straight from the winter market!

I made a trip to Good Will today, and for a mere $10 I found myself a few good projects!

A couple of weeks ago J and I made a new, lasting commitment… to a farm.

A couple of weeks ago J and I made a new, lasting commitment…

…to a farm. Yep, here’s the story:

A woman in a class of mine mentioned on the first day of class that she worked for a local farm. A few weeks later I saw her tweet about the farm and clicked through to the website. About half and hour and 20 pages later, I was completely convinced that this was something J and I needed to take part in.

The JenEhr Farm in Sun Prairie, WI grows organic vegetables and sells them at local farmer’s markets year round. They also have CSA (community supported agriculture) options that allow individuals and families to reserve allotments of produce during different times of the year. This was a new concept to me, but I immediately liked the idea for various reasons. J and I have been on a journey of healthy living and this seemed like the answer to our struggle with finding fresh, high quality produce.

I mentioned joining the CSA to J in passing. He liked the idea, but we didn’t talk about it again for a few more weeks. Then as luck would have it, my college was having a health fair that JenEhr was participating in. J and I talked over our options in more detail, I met with one of the farmers at the fair, and the rest is history. I signed on the dotted line, and our share starts in June.

Here are the fast facts:

  • From June – November J and I will receive a box of produce every other week at our neighborhood farmer’s market
  • The box is “as is.” No requests. No preferences. You get what you get.
  • In November J and I will get a large supply of produce known as the Fall Storage Share - perfect for hosting Thanksgiving and freezing for use throughout the winter ahead.
  • As CSA members, we will be invited to strawberry picking events out at the farm and are allotted a share :)

We are thrilled at this “by chance” meeting and are so excited for our share to start in June. Receiving a box of random veggies seems a little daunting, but I can’t wait to try new foods and experiment with recipes all summer. The pick-up couldn’t be easier – close to home and convenient timing. And strawberry picking?! It’s like they can see through to my soul! Mmmm… strawberries :)

A quick note of importance: Many companies have programs to reimburse employees for making healthy decisions such as joining a CSA. If this is a route you’re looking to try, I would highly recommend contacting your HR rep and asking about any options available. Who knows? You could be happily surprised, we were!

Just a little light pre-grocery shopping reading

Just a little light pre-grocery shopping reading (Taken with instagram)