Community Supported/Shared Agriculture or CSA's are awesome. I actually belong to two of them one for vegetable and one for meat/dairy. This week in my vegetable box I have a couple of tomatoes, three onions, six squash, white radishes, a baby eggplant, and bok choy. While I was at the farm I also picked up some eggs, ground beef, and a chicken. I love my life.
I don't know that I would necessarily recommend a CSA for lowering your expenses though. I paid $200 for sixteen weeks of fresh organic vegetables, which works out to $12.50 a week. Not a bad deal for organic produce, but still it had some problems.
-There are a LOT of greens and if you don't love them you are in some trouble. I like greens but I also grow my own garden with greens I love so some weeks were over kill.
-If you are a person who likes to meal plan way in advanced, it wouldn't work. I am more of a fly by my seat girl so it was fine for me.
-It wasn't in the most convenient pick up spot. The farm is about fifteen minutes from my work, my work is fifteen minutes from my house so after a long day working sometimes the last thing I wanted to do was pick up produce.
-Lots of cucumbers. Cukes are not my favorite veg and it was a stand out year for the csa farm and my garden. I couldn't pick them fast enough and I couldn't give them away. I probably picked over 60 pounds. I have learned my lesson, one cucumber plant is enough.
There were a lot of positives though
-I feel like the only vegetables I bought this summer was lettuce when it was really hot, bell peppers because mine didn't grow and there were none in my boxes, and an odd tomato before they were in season.
-It was exciting to see what you were going to get every week. Like a little vegetable present.
-This last week I was able to take my dog out to the farm with me and he has never seen a chicken before and he went berserk:) That dog was salivating all over about the thought of a little chicken. And while it was gross because even after leaving the farm he was salivating all over me, it was awesome to see his enthusiasm.
-Finally the farm the CSA is through is awesome and Kelly, who runs it, is awesome. She would send out emails and recipes and the quality of the veg was awesome.
So all in all I am a fan, and I recommend that anyone who has access to a csa should totally sign up:)
Toodles,
Tabitha
I don't know that I would necessarily recommend a CSA for lowering your expenses though. I paid $200 for sixteen weeks of fresh organic vegetables, which works out to $12.50 a week. Not a bad deal for organic produce, but still it had some problems.
-There are a LOT of greens and if you don't love them you are in some trouble. I like greens but I also grow my own garden with greens I love so some weeks were over kill.
-If you are a person who likes to meal plan way in advanced, it wouldn't work. I am more of a fly by my seat girl so it was fine for me.
-It wasn't in the most convenient pick up spot. The farm is about fifteen minutes from my work, my work is fifteen minutes from my house so after a long day working sometimes the last thing I wanted to do was pick up produce.
-Lots of cucumbers. Cukes are not my favorite veg and it was a stand out year for the csa farm and my garden. I couldn't pick them fast enough and I couldn't give them away. I probably picked over 60 pounds. I have learned my lesson, one cucumber plant is enough.
There were a lot of positives though
-I feel like the only vegetables I bought this summer was lettuce when it was really hot, bell peppers because mine didn't grow and there were none in my boxes, and an odd tomato before they were in season.
-It was exciting to see what you were going to get every week. Like a little vegetable present.
-This last week I was able to take my dog out to the farm with me and he has never seen a chicken before and he went berserk:) That dog was salivating all over about the thought of a little chicken. And while it was gross because even after leaving the farm he was salivating all over me, it was awesome to see his enthusiasm.
-Finally the farm the CSA is through is awesome and Kelly, who runs it, is awesome. She would send out emails and recipes and the quality of the veg was awesome.
So all in all I am a fan, and I recommend that anyone who has access to a csa should totally sign up:)
Toodles,
Tabitha
