Spring CSA Review

[jen3kids]

We joined a Spring CSA back in January and I must admit, I don't think I got my money's worth from it, but that's because of my greens/mushroom-averse family. It was a good learning experience and I feel relieved that I signed up for a half share for the upcoming summer.

 

I knew there would lots of greens, but we couldn't keep up. For the first few weeks we got 1 big bag of greens or a couple small ones, and that was fine. I was cool with trying new things and I discovered that I liked most of them (especially rainbow chard!). However, I was not prepared for the amount of mushrooms and parsnips we got, as well as the abundance of greens. Every week for an eternity, it seemed, we got a bag of parsnips (about 10/bag) and a package of mushrooms. Unfortunately, dh and I are the only mushroom eaters and we cannot keep up. I currently have 4 packages of mushrooms in the fridge as well as 3 bags of parsnips (we are totally parsnipped-out, and dh, ds1 and I love parsnips!) as well as 4-5 bags of various greens. I'm trying to eat them before they go bad, but I'm not being successful. The guinea pig and rabbit sure are enjoying their snacks!

 

I'll have to say we enjoyed the dozen free-range, pastured eggs I got each week as well as the 1.5 gallons of 2% grass-fed, lightly pasteurized milk. Oh, and the baby carrots and potatoes were delicious. If only we could have replaced some of the mushrooms and greens with more carrots.... heaven!

 

So, next January, I think I'll have to either pass on the CSA or only sign up for a half share, if they offer it. Or, go in halves with a friend.

 

I was happy to have the opportunity to get these farm-fresh organic foods, but it wasn't the best use of our money.

[Kalmia]

Some small farms are beginning to respond to this problem by changing their CSA into a declining balance account. We have two near us and they are the only CSA's I join with a picky family like mine. Here is how they work. You pay $150 for a half share. When you go to the farm stand you select what you like from what they have and the total is deduced from your account. At one farm your credit balance is transferred from one year to the next. This is IMO, the way it should be done. It also allows people to buy large quantities of a single item for canning or freezing. See if there is another farm that offers a CSA like this in your area or go to the local farm market where you can buy straight from farmers without the waste.

[jen3kids]

Some small farms are beginning to respond to this problem by changing their CSA into a declining balance account. We have two near us and they are the only CSA's I join with a picky family like mine. Here is how they work. You pay $150 for a half share. When you go to the farm stand you select what you like from what they have and the total is deduced from your account. At one farm your credit balance is transferred from one year to the next. This is IMO, the way it should be done. It also allows people to buy large quantities of a single item for canning or freezing. See if there is another farm that offers a CSA like this in your area or go to the local farm market where you can buy straight from farmers without the waste.

 

 

 

What a great idea!!!

 

The great thing about my CSA is that they deliver to a location within 5 minutes of my house, so it is incredibly convenient. When I lived in California, I belonged to an organic delivery service and we could pick and choose what we got - it was amazing!

 

I will have to look into Farmer's Markets in my area - they seem to be few and far between, unfortunately.

[Tammyla]

We had a similar experience with our local CSA doing a 1/2 share; there are only two locally btw and only in the summer season. We loved the quality of organic produce, but it just wasn't worth the money, as we still needed to purchase regular salad veggies weekly. I almost switched to the other one, but after reading the on-line blog from last year that mentioned what was in the box each week; that was pretty much the same as the other CSA...

 

Well, we would be pretty much in the same boat. My family is pretty adventuresome, but we are daily salad eaters.

[Kalmia]

Maybe you could talk to the farmers at your CSA. Explain you love their food, but hate that some of it is going to go to waste. Ask if there is any way you could pay a little extra to "adapt" your CSA so you can continue using it. They are probably thinking people want a variety whilst you want more of the things you like. Maybe they could have an option where they left out all parsnips and included two dozen eggs? It is worth a try since the drop-off point is very convenient to you. They probably don't want to lose a customer either, and they might gain some if they could be a little more flexible. They could have a checklist of what they think will be available the following week and you could check off the things you were interested in, they could then figure out the quantities of the less diverse basket. Worth a try.

[Snickerdoodle]

I had the opposite problem. I often feel like the weekly amount is not nearly enough.

[jen3kids]

I had the opposite problem. I often feel like the weekly amount is not nearly enough.

 

 

Well, there was one or two weeks where we got 1 head of garlic, a small bunch of carrots, a couple sweet potatoes, a turnip or rutabaga, and a small bag of micro greens. Since then, things have really taken off though!