Oh my. So in between my dad going on Hospice and us taking vacation, weeks 5-8 of our CSA happened.
No photos but in short, here's a summary:
- We missed week 7 because we were on vacation and like a jack-ass I forgot to tell the CSA. Hopefully whoever was hosting at the site got our share.
- Week 8 had NO TOMATOES. And a sad time was had by all.
- I introduced my mom and stepdad into the wonder that is the roasted butternut squash soup. And they were converted. (my mom had never had butternut squash before!)
- I made an acorn squash dish that S loved. So much so that he chose to willingly eat it again for leftover night.
- I have so many onions I may never need to buy them again. I'm so glad they keep forever.
At this point all I have left is a few peppers, some butternut squash, and eggplant.
With the completion of our share, we had some serious discussion about where we want to go from here. We both loved the CSA, particularly the flavors of the veggies, along with supporting a local farm but were naturally concerned about the cost. I was also hoping for a few more fruits than we got.
The fall/winter share starts in October so we have until the end of September to decide if this is something we want to continue. Until that time we'll be checking the local farmer's markets and maybe even Whole Paycheck to see if we can get quality produce for less money.
One thing that the CSA really did for us was that it taught me to really trust myself in the kitchen. This was random produce we were handed every week and some of it I had absolutely zero recipes for. The first time I really just trusted my instincts I was laying in bed on Saturday morning thinking about the butternut squash in the fridge. I knew I could roast it and it would be delicious but I wanted to do something different. And then it hit me: soup. I actually laid in bed and thought : "What would I want in a butternut squash soup? Probably a little nutmeg, onion, white wine, cream..." So I immediately ran for a recipe. Little did I know I could have probably just made it myownself without any assistance.
I guess all I can say about our future with a CSA is: stay tuned.
I've been on the fence about doing this myself for the reasons you mentioned. I think we do well between the grocery store, our own little garden patch and donated produce from family. I go to the Farmer's Market a few times during the summer, but the one by me is so overpriced, it's ridiculous.
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