Community Supported Agriculture

Peter and I have a lot of bright ideas between the two of us but this might be the best one we've had in a while. Each Wednesday we get this weird little section of paper that has about 3 articles in it and then all the ads for the grocery stores. I usually end up reading it while eating my cereal in the morning-mostly because I just want something to read. One day there was a small ad on the back page for a CSA. I had heard of these operations before but couldn't even remember what the initials stood for. I feel like I at least have an excuse for this since there are so many TLAs (three letter acronyms) commonly used in the Air Force. I have so many initials jumbled in my head it's a wonder I remember my own.

Anyway....we decided to join the Gruber Farm CSA. It is a 12-week commitment and you pay up front. We decided on the 1-2 person share and signed up for a delivery location. Our location is about a mile from our house which is super convenient. Each week we get a box that is FULL of local produce from the Gruber Farm. It averages out to about $16.00 a week.

This week we got a huge head of lettuce, a head of cabbage, a few pounds of green beans, a couple pounds of red potatoes, strawberries, 5 cucumbers, 5-7 zucchini and 5-6 yellow squash. I mean, we don't even know what to do with it all! In the past we have had collards, onions, various lettuces, and turnips.

Not only is it fun to get the box each week, we are eating a lot healthier than we have in the past! For some reason I hate to waste this produce even more than I hate produce wasting when it comes from the grocery store. I'm learning all kinds of new recipes and having a lot of fun trying to cook all the different vegetables. If you have the opportunity to join a CSA in your area I totally recommend it!