Sometimes simplest is the best! BEETS

Beets are one of those food that people either love or hate. They are also a usual part of most spring csa. Although I don't usually buy beets from the grocery store I don't mind getting them in my share. They are pretty easy to prepare and there are a lot of things you can do with them. Like the title says, sometimes the simplest preparations are the best and if I don't know what to do with beets, I can always make beet chips. I got this idea from my friend Shannon and you can use with any root vegetable such as turnips, carrots, or potatoes. Simple peel the beets and slice into 1/4 inch circles. Spread on to a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil then sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes for a crispy easy side dish that goes with any meal. 

One word of warning with the beets. They are pretty messy to prepare so choose your cutting board accordingly. Also, due to the high sugar content of the beets, you may see them again if you know what I beets. Just relax, you probably aren't bleeding!  😜

Bok Choy - stir fry

One major rule of greens is Greens Cook Down.  So when you started with a pretty large head of something, you end up with something that is more managable.  Bok Choy is a vegetable where you can use both the stems and the leaves a little differently.  The two main ways I have used bok choy is either in a stir fry or as a raw slaw.  This week I found this recipe from the New York Times that sounded delicious.  I don't usually cook meat at home, but did this time because of the expected heat from the hot pepper.  Ironically, instead of the pepper listed in the ingredients, I used a jalapeño frozen from last years CSA.  ;) By using a more mild pepper, I think you could leave out the meat and instead use grated tempeh or mushrooms for a vegetarian options.  This one was great.  I loved the chopped stems as a vegetable base and then finishing off with the leaves.  Great flavor in this stir fry.

Spring pick up #1 - Great Greens!

So my CSA has actually started.  I know, I wasn't ready for it either!  Spring crops are really great because you get a lot of typical stuff that you can always use (like lettuce for salads) and non typical stuff that I usually don't cook with like beets.  The biggest issue with spring crops is that they are all kind of the same...usually some sort of greens:  lettuce, beets with greens, asian greens, cabbage, etc. The other issue with many of these greens is that its tough to process them for long term storage.  You have to use them soon after harvesting.  I will go over some strategies in dealing with these over the next couple of weeks, but for now, here is what I got for my week #1:

Lettuce
Beets and greens
Bok Choy
Horseradish root
microgreens
a sunflower plant
honey

We did already get notice that due to cold temps and a cabbage worm, there wouldn't be any cabbages for now.  That is the CSA risk, but regardless, it was a pretty good first week!

Helpful items to have for your CSA

The CSA shares have been bought and its is almost time for the crops to start coming in.  Here is a list of helpful items to have to help you deal with your share:

1. A Storage Freezer - For full disclosure, I don't have one of these.  I wish I did but my husband says we don't have any where to put it.  Finding a place for his homebrew is easy, but somewhere to store healthy foods for the entire family?  Nope.  I make due with the freezer on my fridge and by the end of the summer it is packed full.  Freezing is the easiest and most convenient way to preserve fruits and vegetables and then you can enjoy them all year long.
2.  A Dehydrator - You can also use an oven set on a low temp, but a dehydrator again is an easy way to preserve many foods such as tomatoes, hot peppers, and herbs.  Plus, drying food just gives you a new way to prepare things, which is good if you are tired of eating the same thing over and over and over.
3. Canning supplies - I don't do a lot of canning, and it really isn't all that hard, but canning is a good way to store things especially if you don't have a freezer.  It is actually very easy to make your own pickles and tomato sauce to be used in the off season.  I only can highly acidic things.  There was a picture in my microbiology textbook of 7 coffins due to a bad batch of canned beans, but again, done safely, its a great way to preserve.
4. Compost bin - True, my last post pretty much ripped the idea of having a home garden to shreds, but even with a few pots it is nice to have compost.  In processing your CSA produce, you are going to have a lot of scraps that make great compost.  Why throw these into a landfill, when they can actually do some good?  Or you can put it in buckets and take it back to your CSA.  They will love it.  But the real reason its nice to compost, well, there will be vegetables that you don't like or vegetables that you don't get around to processing in time and go bad.  By throwing them into my compost bin to be used again, I feel less guilty about my failures as a CSA cook because I'm saving the earth.  Woohoo.
5.  Friends who like vegetables - There are going to be weeks where you don't get the changes to use one single item of your share.  Before your know it, its time for the next pick up and now you have two bags on your counter just rotting.  Share the love!  See, your friends are going to think that you are being nice, when in fact, they are helping you out.
6. Friends who will pick up your share for you - Usually the same people that are listed above.  If you go on vacation or just busy, have a friend pick up the share for you.  You can't either let them keep the whole thing if you need a break or pay them with their favorite item.

CSA vs. the Home Farm

Perhaps you are wondering about starting your own garden.  It would be cheaper then buying into a CSA and then you would have more control of what veggies you would get.  But a home garden isn't for everyone, especially not me  ;)  Here are a few easy questions to help you figure out what is best for you:

1.  Do you have copious amounts of free time to spend working on your garden, especially when getting things started in the spring and during the summer?
2. Do you have the space needed in order to grown all of the veggies that you want?
3.  Does you space have the correct amount of sunlight needed in order to grow crops?
4.  Do you have the knowledge on how to set up and run your garden?
5.  Are you able to deal with too much or too little rain?

If the answer to any or all of these questions is no, don't feel bad, get a CSA!

And you can still garden a few extra plants of your favorite things in addition to your CSA.  Gardening is fun and I've been told it isn't hard, but to really get enough to enjoy the produce does take a lot of work!

CSA vs Farmers Markets

Let's see.  You've read blogs, watched some documentaries and you have decided that you want to get involved with the local food movement.  Great!  I am a big believe in local food and supporting our local farmers.  I have enjoyed it, gotten to know some great people and have eaten some tasty and healthy fruits and vegetables in the process.  But a CSA is not the only way you can support local farmers and a CSA is not for everyone.  So, how can you figure out what is best for your family?  Joining a CSA or shopping at farmers markets?

First things first, let me tell you my super secret rule about CSA's.  A lot of people join CSA's to eat vegetables in the summer.  But that is NOT the purpose of the CSA.  If you go into your CSA thinking that, you may not enjoy the experience.  The purpose of the CSA is to enjoy the season's harvest.  What does that mean?  That means that you are not going to eat everything you get the week you get it and the super secret way to use up your produce is to preserve it to enjoy at off peak times. In a CSA you will be spending a lot of time preparing food that you may not even get to eat until months later.  If you like the idea of that, of spreading out your harvest through out the year, a CSA might be for you.  If you don't want to be spending extra time in the kitchen for something you aren't even going to get to eat soon, a farmer's market might be the way to go.

Second of all, a CSA is a CHALLENGE.  Like Christmas morning, you really never know what you are going to get until you open your box.  The best way to deal with a CSA is to see what comes that week, and then make a meal plan and shop for the rest of your ingredients.  This is a fun way to find and try out new recipes, but your life does start revolving around your share.  If you are the kind of person that likes to pick recipes and then shop for ingredients, you might have more luck with farmer markets.

Also, ahem, CSA's are not cheap.  You may not be able to pay these cost upfront like many CSA's require you to do.  Although the cost over time should balance out, that isn't realistic for many people.  In order to be in control of your money with less risk, stick with the farmers market.

Both options are great ones and I have used both in the past, but me, I like the challenge and I like opening up my freezer in February and finding tomatoes from August, so this year, I choose the CSA.

If you have any questions about whether it is better to do a CSA or a famers market, leave a comment.

So you want to join a CSA....

Hey everyone!  My name is Kerri and this summer is my 5th year being involved with a CSA.  If you aren't familiar with the concept, a CSA (stands for Community Supported Agriculture) gives an ordinary person an opportunity to be financially involved with a farm during the main growing seasons.  Generally, "shares" of the farm are sold and then produce that is grown is then given to those who bought into the process.  This set up can be both good and bad to both farmer and shareholder.  Because the farmer gets the money in advance, they are better able to use that money to invest their crops.  However, the share holder does take on some of the risk; if there is a drought or an insect issue, the share holder may not get a good return on their investment.

Because of these reasons, and because you are really picking someone that are you going to be involved with  for many weeks, it is important that you pick out a CSA that fits your needs.  The best listing of the major CSA's in your area can be found on Local Harvest.  You can search for CSA's (and farmer markets) in your area and hopefully find one that is taking new members.  When picking out a CSA, it is important to keep the following things in mind:

1. What produce can you expect from the CSA?  Some farms grow the traditional summer crops such as tomatoes, squash, peppers, etc while others will have vegetables that you may have never heard of.  Also, the farm might specialize in turnips or another crop you have no intention of eating.
2. When and where is the CSA pickup?  Farmers have their own lives and commitments and usually have to set the CSA pick up time accordingly.  However, if you work a full time job with kids and sports and the CSA pick up time only goes until 5:30 on the same day your kids have swim team, that probably isn't going to work.
3. Can you do a half share?  The first year of any CSA is usually overwhelming but the good news is that many CSA's allow half shares, meaning, you only get half as many tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, etc.  If you aren't sure what you are going to do with a full share, or if you know you will be traveling a lot or having a baby, a half share is a great option.
4. Does your CSA have eggs?  I love it when they do, but it isn't always an option.
5. Does the CSA also participate in a farmer's market?  This one can be tricky.  See, the farmer already has your money.  You are a sure thing.  There is nothing worst then picking up yet another 4 pounds of kale and seeing beautiful green beans out for purchase.  Some CSA's can do both effortlessly, but it is always a good question to ask.
6. Does your CSA have a work requirement?  I have actually never seen this in my area, but it is something I have heard about.  For me, its not really a deal breaker, but again, if you are working a full time job and the kids are in swim team, you may not have the time to put into farm work.
7. Is the farm certified organic?  This is one of those personal questions that means something different to any one who might ask it.  It just depends on what is your goal and what is important do you.  The main thing is to talk to the farmer and ask them what method they use.  Just because a farm is not certified organic does not mean that they don't use organic practices on their crops.
8. What season does the CSA cover and when do you need to sign up?  Usually sign ups are held in the winter and many CSAs sell out of their shares many weeks before the first pick up date.

If you have any other questions about finding a CSA, just leave a comment.  I am looking forward to another great season!