Third Share!

I didn’t have the pleasure of picking up our third CSA share last night due to class, so the responsibility fell to my boyfriend. For me, picking up the CSA share and bringing it home is such a treat. There’s anticipation and excitement throughout the day and then finally comes the reward of opening the box and seeing what’s inside. I’ll have to ask my boyfriend if he feels similarly. If not, I will demand to pick up our shares for the rest of the season once class is over. It’s just too much fun.

When I got home, I found:

Onions (conventionally grown) — Long Plain Farm, Whately, MA
Greenleaf lettuce — Lady Moon Farms, FL
Baby arugula — Equinox Farms, Sheffield, MA
Tangelos — Eagles Nest, FL (the ones we got last week were the best citrus I’ve ever had, so hopefully this batch will live up!)
Apples (low-spray/IPM) — Clarkdale orchard, Deerfield, MA
Sweet potatoes — Eastern Carolina Organics
Carrots — Winter Moon Farm, Hadley, MA
Eggplant — Somerset Farms, FL
Green beans — Homestead Organics, FL
Avocado — Homestead Organics, FL (another jumbo sized one!)

All produce is organic, unless otherwise noted. From last week, we still have a few carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, tangelos, and baby spinach. From the first week, we are still hanging onto the wheat berries (does anyone know a good recipe for these?) and some potatoes. A 10 lb. share per week is turning out to be just right for us. I don’t think anything will go to waste, and we definitely don’t have much left over. We also haven’t had to go out shopping since we’ve started our farm share, so that’s another plus.

I regret not having more time and energy to be more inventive in cooking with our farm share. On the flip side, we haven’t really been getting anything too crazy. Turnips and wheat berries were a little out there, but other than those, our CSA shares have been okay for the faint of heart. Pretty normal produce. Perhaps this weekend I’ll be able to get creative. I remember a friend’s mother who had a wonderful pasta with arugula recipe, so maybe I’ll be able to get that from him.

We would like to continue our CSA through the summer, but aren’t sure which share to sign up for. I’m partial to the Re-Vision House CSA or The Food Project’s CSA because I know the people who work at those places, but there aren’t any convenient pick-up locations based on where I live. Also, committing through October or November is a bit tricky, not knowing where we’ll be next fall. Enterprise Farm’s CSA has been flexible and our pick up location has been convenient, but I’d really like to get an all local summer CSA share. I think I need to do some more research.