Taking The CSA Plunge

Pretty much all we see at the Greenmarket these days

For years I have been making a mental note to myself to join a CSA and then promptly losing the note. Occasionally I find it again, but at the wrong time when sign-ups are over. This year, though, Tammy over at Food On The Food has been entertaining me with stories about her CSA (and farmer) for months and I was inspired enough to get myself signed up for the Greenpoint-Wiliamsburg CSA.

I'm probably crazy because I took a full share of vegetables AND fruit (I signed up for eggs and flowers, too, but that's less anxiety-producing), and starting in June I'll be picking up my shares every Saturday. I actually emailed Tammy to ask her if I'd want to kill myself during the height of zucchini season, and while she didn't quite agree that this would be the case, she did give me lots of encouragement and then mentioned I might be cursing her for the first month. This seems fair to me.

I'm looking forward to picking up fresh produce and to the challenge of cooking seasonally with whatever is being harvested that week. I'm not so much looking forward to carrying a watermelon up five flights of stairs in high summer. Or even to walking my canvas bags of vegetables, eggs and fruit the mile home before hauling it up five flights of stairs. Maybe I need to buy a granny cart.

Comments

[Zenchef]

Wow, that's ambitious! My boss has a garden is the hamptons producing so much fruits and vegetables I curse at it all summer long. It's great but it's just too much. I'll give you some stuff this summer in case you have not enough. Haha. Look up recipes for sour cherries, I get tons. Otherwise let's rent a table at union square market. Haha.

[katy]

i'm so jealous!!! the CSA near me has a year-and-a-half waiting list! i could happily eat my weight in zucchini, but i suppose the farmer's market is good enough for me for now!

[Gail]

We all use granny carts in Europe- go for it. Ikeaha a nice looking black with white design for a decent amount.

[Gail]

We all use granny carts in Europe- go for it. Ikeaha a nice looking black with white design for a decent amount.

[Karyn]

I'm so jealous! A CSA just isn't realistic for a single girl, but I've always wanted to join. Oh well - I'll just have to enjoy creating my own selections at the farmer's market.

[Susan from Food Blogga]

Aw, you can never have too many fresh fruits and veggies. As for the grannie cart, maybe you should hold off on that for a while. ;)

[Aran]

That sounds soooo fantastic! I tried to find something similar around my area but I didn't really find anything. There are some non-organic farmers but I wanted an organic coop. You are so lucky!

[Adele]

I have never been part of a CSA, but I can give you a recipe for zucchini fritters that will decimate the little buggers... provided you're okay with eating zucchini for breakfast every single day. :)

[Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)]

Enjoy your CSA -- there is nothing quite like the feeling of knowing that you are supporting and developing a relationship with a local farmer. Even though I live in "farm country", with farm stands in every direction, I still enjoy my CSA membership.

[Bellini Valli]

I wish we had this type of program here. I have GOOGLEd it and no such luck. I will just have to rely upon what I come across at the farmer's market once it opens in April:D

[Astra Libris]

Oooh, how exciting! I'm looking forward to hearing about the bounty that arrives in your kitchen!

[Gretchen Noelle]

I so wish someone would pick out seasonal fruits and veggies for me, I wonder if they have something like this here in Peru? Wouldn't that be great?

[Johanna]

I keep wondering about having organic produce delivered (which I think is our CSA equivalent) but don't know if I can bear to be dictated to about what vegies I use - but perhaps some day!

I think the granny cart is a great option - they are very trendy at our vic market - we had one once that we named which was a good way to feel good about dragging it about - she was like a friend :-)

[frenchtart]

i, too, recently joined one of the local CSAs and i'm really looking forward to the first share in May. i didn't sign up for flowers, though, and i'm kind of kicking myself over that now. maybe next year.

[Joanna]

You'll never regret it, and you can always give away some of the courgettes if they get too much - although you'll find all kinds of ways to eat really fresh ones that are SO much nicer than when you're using shop ones, and so the mountain never really gets that high - at least that's how it is in this house. Here, it's the winter veg that get you down after a while, but that's a veg box scheme thing, which you may not get with CSA, because - am I right in thinking they are just a summer season scheme? And, actually, I think of America as the HQ of all those cake-with-vegetables recipes that are such fun to do in the summer

Looking forward to hearing how it goes
Joanna

[DUMBO / Vinegar Hill CSA]

You won't regret it. I was a member of the Williamsburg CSA last year and it was awesome. I moved to DUMBO this year, where there wasn't a CSA...so we decided to start one. For those closer to DUMBO / Vinegar Hill check us out! We will be hosting a meet and greet with the farmer and signup event at Phoenix House on Tuesday, April 8th. Check out http://www.dumbocsa.org for details!