(yes, i will bore you with the details every week, though the mass pictures will probably be less by November...)
There are 2 things that one should know before they join a CSA... the first and foremost is, there are no guarantees... as you are 'investing' in the farm's crops, you share in the risk... if its a bad year, you dont get as much. In a good year - well, have you ever had a neighbor with an abundant garden? and they want to give you a ton of stuff? and its all super fresh and pretty and awesome? well, that can happen here too... Second is, some CSAs require the members to work - volunteer - either on the farm or, in the case of a city CSA, at the distribution location. Not all do this, therefore, you want to know what you are getting yourself into before you join...
My CSA is one that requires you to volunteer. 4 hours per season, to be exact... As we are an urban CSA, the some volunteers must meet the truck, midday, and unload the food and others sit at the distribution site and help everyone get their share. Since i have a fairly flexible work schedule, i offered to help with the truck unloading last week... that involved getting a call, being told when to get there, bringing up last week's empty crates & reusable boxes and then waiting for the truck to arrive... I wont bore you with all the details, but lets just say that i carried a couple VERY heavy crates (milk, yogurt and cheese filled crates) down a flight of stairs and into our distribution area, only to have the CSA director realize that we had gotten the wrong stuff. and the box was SO heavy, that when it came time to bring the goods back up to the truck? 3 people split the load between them. it was so heavy that one person could not carry it alone... and one of them was even a guy! suffice it to say, every single muscle in my body hurt the next morning...
i think its a way better workout than any time spent in a gym ever could be...
unfortunately (or maybe, fortunately for the sake of my back muscles), this was one of those weeks where the take wasnt as bountiful as one might hope...
2 heads of lettuce, 5 oz of scallions/green onions, one crown of broccoli, 12 oz asian greens and 2 oz of purslane... don't get me wrong - not bad, just not fabulous...
oh, but remember all that dairy i mentioned? eggs started this week too :) i have a half-share of eggs, which means i get a dozen every other week.
maybe its not so much that the take wasnt as good, maybe its just that i found it less inspiring??? i did manage to find a few ways to use things up - posts to come - but the one interesting thing is the purslane. have you heard of purslane? if you have, its probably cause you call it a weed... and it turns out, it is a weed. an insanely healthy weed... depending on who you speak to, it can be used as a green or as an herb... sadly, i have used it as neither this week... the 2 oz was so small that it seemed too small an amount to throw in a salad and i have a feeling that it has since gone bad. which is a shame, but is also probably rule 3 of fight cl- i mean, CSAs - you have to actually WORK to use your produce...
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