roasted carrots + why I love my CSA

I was pleased as punch to find out last week from a neighbor, of a local CSA that delivers.

I’ve never participated in CSA (community supported agriculture), but for years have wanted to. It just never worked out. But finally it has!

Last week I received our first box.

I was impressed with the variety–about 12 different items, local & organic. Alice Waters would be proud.

Made my hippie heart happy to see all those greens.

So this particular company, Greenling, is a bit more than a CSA. You can order more than just the local box, you can order organic groceries & have them delivered.

I’m just interested in the weekly box, so that is what I signed up for. I know other CSA’s require you to “join” before the growing season. Not this one–you can start & stop your orders at any time. You can have a box delivered to your doorstep twice a week. I don’t think I’ll be doing the twice a week delivery. The amount of produce we get in the box seems to be about right for our family of six.

The cost is $35 per week. So, $140 a month for mostly all the organic produce we need (we still need a few things like apples & other produce items not included in the bunch) is a pretty good deal. Our food budget is $425, so we still have lots left over for bulkier foods & pantry items.

Here are some things that I’m liking so far:

1. 1. Variety.
   I get a dozen or so different organic fruits or vegetables. I love the variety, & the fact that I get to try things like purple (!) carrots & kohlrabi, & other somewhat obscure items that you are not going to find at most supermarkets. I like that each week I get a different batch of items. This week I’m getting: grapefruit, avocados, beets & beet greens, strawberries, mixed summer squash, & other things that I didn’t get last week.
3. 2. Affordable.
   I have to be honest. On our tight food budget, we can’t afford many organic foods. This option makes eating organic a lot easier & more affordable.
5. 3. Arugala.
   Can you believe I’ve never actually bought arugala before? Which means, I’ve never prepared arugala. Until this week, when I got a bunch in the box. I made an argugla & romaine asian salad, served with California rice, & my kids (& Joseph) really liked it. Hyrum said: “Mom, I can’t believe you prepared this in a way that I actually like!” I took that as a compliment.
7. 4. Supports local farming.
   Less energy is used to transport=better for environment & we get fresh, nutritious foods–a win-win.
9. 5. They deliver!
   That right there is worth about $5 or $6 to me since it costs me that to go to Whole Foods or Costco.

For us, it seems like a no-brainer to use this CSA.

However, I could see if you were a picky eater (or had a lot of picky eaters in your family), &/or it’s just you (unless you’re on a raw foods diet), it might be hard to eat everything you’re given in a weeks time.

Another thing that I like about this CSA is they include a week’s worth of recipes to go with your box. One of the recipes was for roasted carrots & kale pesto. My kids ended up liking the roast carrots better without the pesto.

Prior to this, I had never just “roasted carrots.” I discovered, it’s sooo simple, & roasting really brings out the sugars so you get an almost sweet potato-like flavor.

♥♥♥

Have you ever been a part of a CSA? What was your experience like?