June 29, 2009

CSA Delivery #4

Oh my goodness, even my husband was oohing and aahing over this one. Then he grabbed one of those funny little sci-fi light green peppers in front to put on his sandwich. How did we get so lucky as to have someone deliver this to our door every other week?

This all costs $42 per delivery, and so far I haven't spent any more for groceries (typically $320 for two per month). So we're now eating fresh, local, and organic, plus it's being delivered, for the same price! Remarkable. I think it's partly because I'm so careful not to waste anything. Believe me, even the potatoes are so good, you don't want to waste a speck of this beautiful produce.

I'm having a little trouble with my camera, so what you can't see is off to the right- two light green squash plus two roundish yellow cucumbers. I only knew they were cucumbers by reading the list of what I received this week. The peaches are called Saturn peaches or Doughnut peaches, and are supposed to be deliciously sweet. I'm not sure what kind of melon that is, it's actually not on the list. And just look at those bright red carrots!

Tonight I'm going to resist making the tomato tart with parmesan crust in order to save our waistlines. So I'll have to find another recipe for that huge heirloom tomato- let me know if you have any suggestions. I'll also use the lettuce right away, and maybe the green beans.

I can't recommend joining a CSA highly enough. There's absolutely no downside. The produce tastes so much fresher and healthier. It's delicious. And it's so much fun. All the benefits for the farmers and the environment are like icing on the cake.

Do you have a CSA delivery available where you live? Do you go to the Farmer's Market? Please leave your ideas and questions in the Comments section.

5 comments:

Ellen said...

I go to the Sunday farm. mkt. on Laurel Cyn & Ventura most often, and sometimes to the Saturday market in downtown Burbank. Those two are closest to my house. The best one is the weekend (Saturday?) one in Hollywood, but I don't make it there regularly.

How do you clean all these vegetables, and when (the whole box right when you get it all, or only as you use things)? What storage methods do you use? Does the CSA give advice on this stuff--like how to ripen slightly underripe fruits and veggies? Would be a great post sometime.

Anonymous said...

It's Caprese salad time of year! Slides tomatoes, soft mozzarella (buffalo), basil and olive oil.

Kristen@TheFrugalGirl said...

Oooh, that all looks delicious!

Angela said...

Ellen- Yes, they provide you with recipes and suggestions, and then they'll answer any questions by phone or email. They're super helpful. I did ask about storage- mostly I just store greens in a plastic bag in the crisper and other veggies loose in the crisper. Trim tops and wash just as you use them. So far that has worked great, and everything has been really fresh- even what we eat the night before the next delivery (almost two weeks). Thanks for the suggestion- I'll post about that next time.

Anonymous- That's exactly what we had- I went to the Italian bakery and bought delicious buffalo mozzarella and used the beefsteak tomato with fresh basil from my herb garden. I LOVE caprese salad!

Kristen- Yes, we are so lucky to have such variety in California. Even things I don't like that much normally taste absolutely delicious. I hardly ever buy melon- but we already ate it all yesterday. Actually my husband ate most of it- this is a great way to get him to eat more fruits and vegetables!

Cate said...

My husband and I go to our local Farmer's Market every Saturday morning, even in the dead of winter when the only things really available are meat, eggs, honey, and a smattering of winter vegetables. We enjoy going--not just because we pick up tons of delicious, often cheap, produce, but because we enjoy buying our food from local farmers. We've built up a rapport with several of them, and we enjoy seeing them just as much as we enjoy buying (and eating!) the food they've grown.