Rob and I signed up for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program last fall and I have to say that I am completely converted and can never go back. Every two weeks, Hood River Organic gives us a box of produce. It is all locally grown, seasonal and the freshest produce I’ve had.
At first I thought that not knowing what would come from week to week would be a problem, but it turns out that it is a much more fun way to cook. Take this week. We’ve got Cremini and portabella mushrooms, Bosc pears, Fuji apples, arugula, bok choy, kale raab, red radishes, micro greens mix and bread.
Kale raab? I have no idea what the heck it is and probably wouldn’t have picked it up in the store but now I have this yummy new vegetable to try. It has completely changed the way I cook because I now look at what I have and then decide what I will make. Except in very rare cases, I never buy produce at the store anymore.
Now, we had one week as they were switching over to the spring season where we didn’t get a box. Suddenly having to think about what I wanted to make and then going to the store to see what they had… Then realizing how much of the food had been shipped up from Chile. It was like stepping back into a strange and alien world without a connection to my food. Nothing was as fresh and it was so much more expensive than our CSA boxes.
So, allow me to highly recommend signing up for a CSA in your area.
We just signed up for the first time a couple weeks ago, and should get our first box next week. Looking forward to it!
Kale raab sounds like kohlrabe to me, which makes me think of the villain of a Little Golden book about a magic flute I had when I was a child. Is it a root vegetable or a leafy green? Now I’m curious.
It actually looks like a cross between broccoli raab and kale.
I haven’t joined a CSA yet, but I’m a regular farmer’s market shopper. About the only fruit/veg I buy at the supermarket are those cut-up carrots and bananas.
CSAs rock, and they are very popular in my area. However, whenever practical, I advocate growing one’s own produce. Nothing beats picking a salad from the garden and serving it up an hour later. Even freshly harvested potatoes are a gastronomical surprise. And nurturing veggies from seed to harvest is a valuable experience on many levels.
Wow! I clicked the link and was amazed at all the products. Thanks!