Yoko's CSA Farm Share Experience

For this week, I decided to take a break from posting about my CSA. Since I know there are a few people who have been inspired to sign up for a CSA from reading my blog, I thought it would be a good idea to show and talk about some other people's experiences with a more traditional CSA. My first guest is Yoko !

June 5, 2007

July 25, 2006

One of my friends had subscribed to a CSA a few years ago. I had never heard of the term before then, and I was intrigued by her description.

Q: What motivated you to sign up for one? Would you like to share anything about the thought process you went thru?

I liked the idea of supporting a local farm and having a closer connection to a place that grew my food. Fresh and seasonal produce makes for a markedly vibrant, full taste. I knew, from years of going to the grocery store and buying vegetables grown on a big farm, out of season, from another part of the country, that more often than not, I got insipid-tasting produce. My mom, having grown up on an orchard in Japan, has always made me aware that certain fruits and vegetables taste better when they are in season.

I did some research online, and found a couple of sites: localharvest.org and www.farmtocity.org. I did some asking around, and decided to sign up for the Red Earth Farm's CSA. They have a system where you can choose from a list of vegetables available at a given time. I did the math, and figured that for
 a half-share, I was paying maybe $12 a week for vegetables that would cost me at least twice that at my grocery store. It was the right thing to do.

June 27, 2006

August 3, 2006

Q: How far is the farm from your house?
It's about a 2.5 hour drive from where I live, in a different county.
 
Q: How far do you go to pick [CSA shares] up?
The CSA has drop-off locations in various parts of the area. Mine is actually a block away from where I work.

Q: How long is the growing season?
This year, the growing season is from June to November.

Q: What have been some of your favorite new food experiences since you started receiving your shares? (Feelings about food, ways of shopping/preparation, etc)

I try to choose vegetables that I've never tried before, just to see what they're like. I had garlic scapes for the first time this past week, for instance. I sauteed them in oil, with salt and pepper-- they feel like green beans, but the garlic flavor is fabulous. Unfortunately, I smelled like garlic for a couple days straight!

In my meal planning, I usually decide to what to make based on a recipe, and then go out and buy the ingredients. With the CSA, my vegetables arrive, and then I think, "what can I make with these?" My process is completely reversed, but I like the challenge of coming up with a dish from things that I have on hand.

Q: What has been the biggest surprise of the experience?

The biggest surprise is really how delicious the CSA produce is. I've been eating a lot of zucchini right now, and they're sweet and lovely-- not a bitter one among them.

My husband and I drove out to the farm last weekend for their open house. The farmer and his crew were really friendly-- I was happy to be supporting people who honestly cared about their work.

Q: Any other thoughts...

I think that in this day and age, supporting local farms is especially important. Buying food from a farmer's market, or from a CSA, makes a lot of sense financially and environmentally.

Yoko

July 11, 2006

August 22, 2006

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Thank you so much to Yoko for taking time out to answer my questions and letting me show off her lovely pictures.  You can see more of Yoko's pictures here. I hope to bring more guest CSAs to the blog in the near future.