CSA 2014 Weeks 1, 2, and 3

Back in March I paid for a Large CSA Share for the 2014 season. I paid $950. This was difficult to come up with all at once. I am trying to pay back my savings account from my grocery budget and then I will try to put money aside to do this again next year. I consider it not just well worth it for the food, but also for the education about seasonal eating, learning to like new things and learning how to cook them or preserve them and sharing them with the kids. Pick ups began the first week of June.

CSA first week pick up was great. I left the kids with Rachel and ran out to see how this worked. My friend Georgia happened to be there at the same time and excitedly gave me a tour of the little system. Essentially there are two shelves, one for the large and one for the smaller share and you sign off your name and read the little labels on the shelf to pick one or two of whatever it says is in your share this week.

The first week was a lot of green things. 2 head of lettuce, chives, bok choi, a bag of baby spinach, kale, little white turnips, a little pint of early strawberries and a gallon of Apple cider. I used the swap box and traded for the half gallon of cider someone left behind. I think I left lettuce. In case someone else just didn't get enough.

On our share email were directions on how to freeze cider you have too much of. In our house this is never a problem. I can't imagine a universe where this is an issue.

Week two. I took people with me. Everyone to be inexact. And I got my mom and brother and sister on the way. Because I needed help. Share included two heads of lettuce, a Lb of baby bok choi, Green onions,Kale,  more little turnips. Two bags of storage apples and an offensive thing called "cilantro" which is no longer welcome in my home. There was also a Quart of strawberries, but they were eaten in the car so voraciously that even the little paper container was shredded in the best tradition of  velociraptors.

Also I bought more stuff:

Kale was on sale, so of course. More of it. Storage apples were 20 Lbs for $20. I sauced these. They are delicious. I want to see if there are any left this coming Friday for more such sauciness. Snow peas also cheap in season. I think the bag was about a dollar. What wan't cheep was the U-pick strawberries. What you see on the table is about $45 of them, about $6/ Lb! I tried to turn them into Jam but I misjudged the thickness and the jam is too sweet and thick. I may cook it again with some apple and see if it does any better. but I learned a lot. And Robbie tried to eat apples. Which was pretty cute. He kept running away with them like he thought he would get into trouble.

 

Week three I just took Libby and left everyone else home with Chris in the afternoon. We had some U-pick strawberries with our share and went out to the field for our quart. This time I didn't buy any extras and we ate them all fresh to save me all the work of preserving them.

Another welcome gallon of cider, two heads of lettuce, garlic scapes, a little broccoli, Chinese cabbage, parsley, green onions, beets, Swiss chard, the Qt of strawberries. I also purchased two basil plants you can kind of see on the messy counter above. Robbie is sampling the lettuce.

I'm looking forward to wk 4!