Some of you might remember last May when we bought a CSA share from Plan B organic farms. It was our first time ever buying a CSA share and we were excited for local and organic food each week.
Well to clarify, it was mostly ME who was excited…but excitement is contagious and I think Eric secretly enjoyed it too.
…I think it was all the cooking I did!
We quickly learned that there were things we loved about the CSA share and things that we didn’t love.
CSA PROS:
1) Value for dollar
At just $20 something dollars a week, we were given a huge box of organic produce. It would have cost much more had we purchased this at the grocery store. Even so, we wouldn’t have been able to find everything organic at the grocery store and I can bet it wouldn’t have been local either.
2) Support local organic farmers
3) Fresh & Crisp produce, better quality than what we find at grocery store
4) Our veggie consumption went way up and we felt amazing.
5) We tried so many new vegetables. Even scary ones!
CSA CONS:
1) Lots of Repetition
By August/September we were getting tons and tons of potatoes and squash (among other things) and we got so sick of the repetition. I’m sure if we lived in a tropical climate, there would be a better selection of produce each week, but around here I think we are more limited.
2) No choice in what produce you get
We often found ourselves longing for some items that were in season and they never came (e.g., tomatoes).
3) Picking up the box each week
We opted not to get a delivery to save money. We found out only after we purchased the share that the pick-up location was a 25 minute drive from our house and it wasn’t overly convenient for us. Plan B does not disclose the pick-up location until your make the purchase. Obviously, this was a con for our particular circumstance, but pick-up location is still something to consider before buying.
Our 2011 Produce Plan
This year, we decided that we are going to change things up and do things a bit differently!
Our plan for the 2011 season is to:
1) Possibly plant a garden this Spring, time willing!
2) Buy produce from the Milton Farmer’s Market. We aren’t working at the Oakville market this summer so we hope to attend the Milton Market (as customers!) as much as possible this year. It opens May 14th.
3) Buy produce from local organic farm. I recently discovered that there is an organic farm not too far from us. This organic farm lets you buy produce on Wednesday evenings and they will also be selling at the Milton Farmer’s Market on Saturdays.
(If we plant a garden, we won’t need to rely on the farm/market as much…but we’ll have to see!)
If we manage to build a garden, I plan on showing the process on the blog. I really have NO CLUE how to build a veggie garden (and I don’t know a thing about vegetable gardening!), but my RMT has been teaching me a lot about it because she is a pro. :) I’m sure I can find some tutorials online too.
I hope our new plan will work out well this season. I will keep you updated on our progress!
Do you have a plan of how you will be buying your produce this Spring and Summer? Do you ever use a CSA, Farmer’s Market, local farm, or plant your own veggies? If you plant your own garden, how did you start it up?
LOVE my CSA! The extra things that we tire of I freeze or can. Sure did enjoy them all winter long. I also plant a garden for what the CSA does not grow. He does not do Kale, collards, or pumpkins. Kale and collards do not have a lot of people who want them (or even know what they are!) and pumpkins are too late in the season for the CSA. Can’t wait for fresh, local produce!!
My husband does all the organic gardening for me. We’ve just moved to our first house so are planning to build raised beds for no-dig garden. And also a 3 compartment compost bin. And plant lots and lots of fruit trees. When we left our rental house, new tenants got our big, flourishing garden (big sigh). Hope they’re happy.
I have a mini garden where I plant tomatoes, sweet peppers and herbs. Even if you don’t have time to plant a full garden, I HIGHLY recommend planting just a few things. You will never taste more delicious produce in your life! Plus it is so convenient just to run out to the garden to get herbs instead of remembering to buy them at the grocery store. ;)
I buy a lot of my summer produce at the Burlington farmer’s market. I can’t wait until it opens again!
OH! You definitely have to do the garden….because I need to know about gardens. And it’s all about me, of course! :-) I look forward to watching the progression. And to see if you can find a way to keep the earwigs out of the tomato plants.
I love the CSA idea. I’ll have to see if there’s one near where I live.
When my husband and I get a house we definitely want to plant a vegetable garden too. I think it would be so much fun. :-)
I just started my own garden this past weekend, and it was so much fun! When my husband and I bought the house, there was a raised bed already in the back. Obviously that was a great perk, so I didn’t have to build my own. So I tilled it up and added some organic soil and planted tomato plants, a cucumber plant and some Bibb lettuce seeds. I also started 2 container gardens on my patio: 1 for herbs and 1 for hot peppers. We will see how it goes! Hopefully, I will get enough to can some peppers and cucumbers :) I posted pictures on my website if you want to check it out.
Good luck!
We are signed up for a CSA this summer, I am so excited! Our plan is for every other week pick-up, which I think will be a good amount for the two of us. I think it will be a good way to expand my horizons in vegetable cooking and eating! And I would much rather buy produce from a local farm than the grocery store. Better quality, better prices, and the farm has an ice cream window :)
planting a veggie garden is such a fun idea! my husband and i are considering this as well, although we live in a very hot area and are not sure what we can grow. not sure if you know of joy, from http://www.joyoushealth.ca/, but i think she lives in canada and she is always mentioning different farmers markets. she may know of markets, etc. in your area!
Good luck with the gardening. My dad in an avid veggie gardener who grows everything from corn, to tomatoes, and even a watermelon in his greenhouse once! The green thumb doesn’t seem to be genetic though – I have managed to kill a wide variety of house plants :( I’m thinking of attempting a patio garden with flowers and a few low-maintenance veggies this summer… I think even if I manage to get some fresh lettuce and cherry tomatoes, it would be worth it! An added bonus is that and I hear gardening can be very relaxing.
Planting a vegetable garden was one of the best decisions I made. Everything tastes so fresh and it’s super convenient to go right out to the backyard and pick the produce. Tomato plants are especially great and often produce so many that it’s hard to eat them fast enough!
This is actually our first year using a CSA and we are super excited! Once we own a home, I plan to plant a garden…potted plants will have to do until then!
I use a local markets for fruit and vegetables, and find it so much cheaper and fresher than supermarket produce. The downside is that it’s super crowded :( I think the trade off is worth it thought!
Last year I planted a vegetable garden for the first time – in two raised planter beds as I really just have courtyard space. It was SO MUCH FUN! I really loved it, and I’ve never gardened much before…I think there’s just something about watching things grow and then being able to pick and eat them :) I did lots of research before hand on plants that would work in my weather conditions, and time of year to plant, but other than that it wasn’t hard.
I think it would be so fun to build a “three sisters” garden, especially since it’s a technique developed by the indigenous people in our region. It’s made up of corn, beans, and squash, and the reason for it is that they each help the others grow. The corn stalks act as a pole for the beans to climb, the beans provide nitrogen to the soil, and the squash spreads along the ground to fight off weeds.
Here is the Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Sisters_%28agriculture%29
I grew corn in my garden two years ago, and yielded 4-5 cobs that looked AMAZING, but unfortunately, they were all stolen before I had a chance to pick the cobs :( (I have a plot in a community garden)
How awesome is that first picture? Love it! I’ve thought about trying a CSA – thanks for listing out the pros and cons :)
I’m getting a CSA box next month for the first time. I’m a little nervous about what will be coming! I pretty much eat any type of veggie I just don’t want to get a box of beets every week.
I planted tomatoes, peppers, beans and squash last year. Only the tomatoes and the beans came in. I will definitely be trying again this summer.
Onto my second season with a CSA. Figured if I could do it over the winter – the summer share would be a breeze. Switched out from Organic Delivery – loved the convenience but the food traveled from very far and very wide to arrive at my door step. Local content was minimal. And variety surprisingly light.
My biggest pro for me – is that it keeps me out of the grocery store. I maybe shop once or maybe twice a month for milk, oats and peanut butter [aka staples]. I save a ton just by not entering into the building.
I’d love to learn how to grow my own garden as well, because at least then you have control over what you get and hope it stays alive through the process! I’m a little north of you and am definitely going to do some research and find out where my local farms are + plan to go to the farmer’s market on Saturday’s as well!
we use a company called Door to Door Oragnics…it gets delivered every week and its always organic…we can substitute up to 5 items each week…I also visit farmers markets and we plant a huge garden every year!! We are not experts by any means but we manage to yield a lot of crops!!
I would love to use a CSA, as my local supermarket is very humdrum in its offering and the farmers’ market is a really long drive away, so not always feasible. Alas, no CSA exists in my city!
We live in Alaska and some of the same geographical issues you do when it comes to fresh produce. After reading about your CSA purchases and looking at the pictures I found one out of Washington that delivers to Anchorage. I enjoy it because I can either get weekly or bi-weekly deliveries, they have about a dozen pick up locations in town and the one nearest to me is on my way home from work. I can also go in to my account the week before delivery and change items I do not wish to receive. This past week for example I replaced carrots with radishes because I fear I am turning orange from my recent carrot intake. Being able to change the contents of the box was a HUGE selling point for me.
I do plant some vegetables in containers on our deck. We have a postage stamp size yard so I am very limited. I discovered last year that my German Shepard likes broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and peas. He didn’t eat the bok choy! I also shop at our local farmers market during the late spring, summer and early fall.
You have been my inspiration to eat more veggies and as many organic as possible. Thank you for your inspirational words and pictures. You and Eric are such a lovely couple!
Kim