10 Ways to Love your CSA Experience

We’re kicking off fall, and right now it’s time to think about {possibly} signing up for those CSA’s before winter hits. Although it doesn’t get too cold here in Arizona.. it gets chilly enough to where your garden goes on ‘hold’… 

A CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) requires customers (shareholders essentially) to pre-pay for a season of veggies.. and in some cases, meat, eggs or even bread.

Not all CSA’s require a prepaid subscription, however..  some of them may allow you to pay by the week.  I don’t know about you but that concept is one of the reasons I love the CSA we are with here in the East Valley.

CSA’s are growing in popularity -it’s a very rewarding and fulfilling relationship between farm and consumer. 

I would love to think that a CSA can work for everyone, but I know that would be a stretch to say, as that potential relationship needs to be approached the right way. I think a CSA is an amazing thing – but trying to get others in our family on board is not as easy.

I really do think that being part of a CSA is a really beautiful thing – after all, who wouldn’t want to have fresh, local organic vegetables week after week?  

Though it’s not all that easy through, because sometimes we have different expectations that can get us into a pickle.

Why do we Choose a CSA?

The reasons that we all choose a CSA can differ from person to person – some of us choose a CSA for predictability, and sort of control. Others, score a CSA share because they want a  better relationship with their food – for us, it’s a combination of several things.

We chose a CSA a few years ago for a myriad of reasons – I can’t say any specific one. One thing that I love though is the ability to have more control over the food I feed my family by rewarding those with the same mindset (the farmers who grow their food with our health in mind) with my business. 

No matter why you pick up a CSA share, there are some things you will want to remember.

1. It helps you try things you may not have purchased at the store.

If you have been a lettuce and potato lover your whole life, but you haven’t tried eating anything besides those, then getting  greens you may not recognize will be a new and exciting challenge for you…  You might be trying purple potatoes for the first time. 

If these items scare you, don’t panic!  Try them, learn about them, read about them, and find recipes to make with them – talk about them, and share them. Form a wonderful and beautiful relationship with those purple potatoes that helps you appreciate the food that you will be eating. 

If anything, give them a chance. You might fall in love with something you never knew you could have a relationship with.

2.  CSA produce trumps store purchased produce.

When you pick up your bag and they tell you that the lettuce has just been picked, that’s huge.

It’s not being trucked in from another state, or even hours away. It’s not picked days before, and kept on a truck – it’s fresh, organic produce, grown without pesticides, by farmers local in your area. It really does make store purchased produce (even organic) look really sickly.

3. An Instant Pot is a necessity if you have a CSA.

Not only is it one of the best appliances to invest in, you can transform your veggies and greens into steamed meals, and healthy meals.

A cookbook is great to have too – though not required. Pinterest is a great source of ideas for putting your CSA share to good use.  Not a day goes by that I don’t use my Instant Pot to make something in my CSA bag – from marinara sauce to broccoli pasta sauce, and more.

4.  Learn what’s in season.

The best part of a CSA is that you can have fresh, organic produce grown at the farm down the road. Part of that is also realizing that local produce is seasonal – try to grab an understanding of what crops to expect, and each vegetable’s season (and some can be very short).

It makes the time you have with your produce more special knowing that some of them aren’t available all year round and gives you the opportunity to learn how to freeze what you can, while you have it, so you can use it during the off season.

5.  Clean your fridge the night prior.

We  pick up our CSA share on Wednesdays – so Tuesday night it’s clean out time – anything left in the drawers gets pulled out and used in recipes, or, we save for homemade vegetable stock.

Get into a routine of pulling forward the items that are in there, so you have space for the new veggies to come in. If you still have produce from that current week, use it before using the new CSA produce so it doesn’t go to waste. 

It’s always tempting to eat the new items once you get the new bag, try to use up those items that are buried in there from the previous week.

6. Arrive on time to pick up your share.

Sometimes, your pick up local will be the farmers market. If you arrive early, you can pick up additional items not in that weekly bag (basil, snap peas, etc.) – and selection is best when you arrive early.

When you get there late, the farmers market may be picked over.. and you might not get the extra items you want. Having the opportunity to enjoy the visual feast on the tables at the farmers market is a great feeling.

7. Make vegetable stock (or learn how).

If you have vegetables that you can’t possibly use, wash them, rough chop and simmer them in a few quarts of water so you have fresh veggie stock on hand for making soups or stews.

It’s so easy, you will never want to buy canned or boxed vegetable stock ever again.  If you have an Instant Pot, it gets even easier – the Instant Pot makes some of the most amazing vegetable stock in minutes.

8. Take care of your CSA share.

If you rush out to the farmers market or CSA pick up to get your bag, take great care of the contents until you get home and wrap or wash before tucking them in the fridge.  Your farmer took considerable care in planting and harvesting those vegetables for you – they are fresh, and bursting with nutrients that your body needs.

If you plan on picking up that bag on the way to work, avoid leaving the bag in the hot car – put in a cooler if you are traveling a long distance. OR, drive home, and wash/wrap them accordingly before storing in the fridge.

9. Give your CSA bag lots of thought.

If your CSA tells you what to expect in the coming week’s bag, you will have plenty of time to find ways to make that bag fit into your weekly shopping or cooking routine. 

Our CSA tells us on Friday what’s coming in the coming week – I then spend time planning our meals for the week that revolve around our CSA bag, taking weekends and out of town trips into consideration. Determine how to use the bounty of your bag so you don’t have to rely on the grocery store or warehouse to fill in gaps.

10. Realize that being part of a CSA share is a commitment.

A good CSA will work incredibly hard to provide quality produce each week – but it’s important to understand that items are seasonal; it’s just as important to understand that farming itself is risky too – weather can change frequently and pests can be a bear. 

Unlike the produce protected from the supermarket infrastructure, local farmers take a great deal of care in ensuring their produce is pesticide free, fresh, and healthy for those who appreciate local, farm to table efforts.

That’s it honestly – being part of a CSA is an amazing experience. I truly LOVE mine – our CSA takes a great deal of care in making sure that every shareholder is satisfied. 

I know many of my friends have jumped into the same CSA I am a part of, .. I know they, too, have a deep understanding of farm to table efforts (if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be making the weekly commitment!)  Not to mention, we can pay week to week, and we can sub out two items for something we need. Or, we can disregard the week’s bag entirely and ask for a *custom* bag with our choice of contents. 

Are you part of a CSA? What tips would you give to someone who may be on the fence about making that commitment?