Back when Secret Agent Man was about 2 years old, we joined a CSA in Naperville. A CSA is Community Supported Agriculture. In this case, a small organic farm in the middle of the suburbs. The community supports the efforts of the farm by purchasing a share. The CSA in Naperville is run by the Green Earth Institute, definitely check it out if you live nearby and like fresh veggies.
Ours was I think a 20 week membership that cost roughly $320. In return we headed to the farm every other Friday for a bushel of vegetables. You don't get to pick and choose, they grow what is in season and what survives that years given weather, you take it home and eat it. This is much cheaper than purchasing the same amount of produce through the grocery store.
This was fantastic for the whole family in that it made us try new vegetables like kohlrabi, squashes and greens that were not part of our normal diet or that we had never tried before. Especially great to expose a little one to all of these healthy veggies.
As Secret Agent Man got older I tried to get us a bit more involved at the farm by volunteering. At first I thought just a little exposure, some light work.
Well.....I was completely wrong. I would go once a week and do brutal workloads for 3 short hours that left me exhausted and sore. I am not a sedentary person either, I was definitely lifting weights and working out 4-5 times a week. I could not believe the work it took to get these vegetables from the ground to our plates.
I mainly washed and sorted. Brutal.
Sometimes I got to take a break and weigh potatoes and put them in a bag. I was so happy then!
Meanwhile, Secret Agent Man would be sorting irrigation valves or some other busy task that farmer Steve had given him. That or exploring the water runoff from cleaning, the native plants that surrounded the farm or watching what the other farm workers were doing.
That summer we both had really valuable experiences and it only made picking up our veggies bi-weekly more fun. We have continued our CSA membership ever since that first year.
Once we moved, finding a new CSA was on the top of the list. Especially without a Trader Joe's and their amazing prices for organic produce. We quickly found Johnson's Backyard Gardens. This is a much larger operation and they service a huge population throughout Austin and the surrounding areas.
Another plus, the growing season here is year round. Our share doesn't have to stop with pie pumpkins in the fall! The produce is amazing, beautiful and delicious.
Ours was I think a 20 week membership that cost roughly $320. In return we headed to the farm every other Friday for a bushel of vegetables. You don't get to pick and choose, they grow what is in season and what survives that years given weather, you take it home and eat it. This is much cheaper than purchasing the same amount of produce through the grocery store.
This was fantastic for the whole family in that it made us try new vegetables like kohlrabi, squashes and greens that were not part of our normal diet or that we had never tried before. Especially great to expose a little one to all of these healthy veggies.
As Secret Agent Man got older I tried to get us a bit more involved at the farm by volunteering. At first I thought just a little exposure, some light work.
Well.....I was completely wrong. I would go once a week and do brutal workloads for 3 short hours that left me exhausted and sore. I am not a sedentary person either, I was definitely lifting weights and working out 4-5 times a week. I could not believe the work it took to get these vegetables from the ground to our plates.
I mainly washed and sorted. Brutal.
Sometimes I got to take a break and weigh potatoes and put them in a bag. I was so happy then!
Meanwhile, Secret Agent Man would be sorting irrigation valves or some other busy task that farmer Steve had given him. That or exploring the water runoff from cleaning, the native plants that surrounded the farm or watching what the other farm workers were doing.
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| One of our most recent shares |
That summer we both had really valuable experiences and it only made picking up our veggies bi-weekly more fun. We have continued our CSA membership ever since that first year.
Once we moved, finding a new CSA was on the top of the list. Especially without a Trader Joe's and their amazing prices for organic produce. We quickly found Johnson's Backyard Gardens. This is a much larger operation and they service a huge population throughout Austin and the surrounding areas.
Another plus, the growing season here is year round. Our share doesn't have to stop with pie pumpkins in the fall! The produce is amazing, beautiful and delicious.
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| Another beautiful harvest |
If you've never grown your own, you wouldn't believe how delicious these are straight from the farm and freshly picked.
We eat a good chunk of this fresh throughout the first few days, grill a bunch come the weekend and then come up with a recipe for the one or two items leftover. It's usually gone in a week. I might increase our shares to a weekly portion instead of bi-weekly.
I definitely recommend CSA to anyone who will try it. Best way to learn where you food comes from and how it is really supposed to taste!
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