So I have a friend named Rachel Sheridan who also happens to be a neighbor here, in Atwater Village, and recently she did an Instagram of a CSA box that had arrived at her doorstep. What’s a CSA box? CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture and the idea is this: you pay a set fee, each week, and as a reward a box arrives at your door full of fresh-from-the-farm produce. I asked Rachel about her CSA and she told me it was called Summerland and that I should check it out. Not only did I check it out, after clicking around for a bit, I signed up too. Cue the trumpets: this box arrived yesterday (Sunday) morning! What was inside? Let’s open it up.
Hmmm…what’s all that? Let’s take it apart piece by piece.
That first layer contains: spring onions, yellow carrots, red romaine, mint, and MIZUNA. (I had to Google Mizuna: it’s like arugula, only spicier.)
Next up: a whole head of PURPLE CAULIFLOWER.
Isn’t that wild? Wait ’til you see what I did with it (that’s coming in the next post).
With Summerland, you choose a ratio of fruit to vegetables: I chose 25 to 75, so 25% fruit, 75% vegetables. Here’s the fruit that came:
Oranges, apples, a lemon and something big and round that may be a pomelo? I’ll have to investigate.
But the point is, because of my CSA, I have so many fruits and vegetables in my kitchen to play around with all week. The cauliflower (spoiler alert!) made its way into a spaghetti dish that was pretty rad; for Monday night’s dinner, I’m thinking chicken with roasted carrots–or maybe a carrot salad. Not sure about the spring onions or the red romaine yet, but most likely a salad.
Excited, though, to get a mystery box every week. It’s like being on Chopped except way less stressful; plus it’s good for local farms. My name is Adam Roberts and I’m a proud new member of a CSA.
I love my CSA! Definitely gets us to eat a lot better. :)
Enjoy your CSA! We’ve had one for a few years now, and they’re amazing. The challenge it presents you to cook things you’ve barely ever seen or used before is so much fun.
Enjoy your CSA! We’ve had one for a few years now, and they’re amazing. The challenge it presents you to cook things you’ve barely ever seen or used before is so much fun.
There’s a terrific recipe with spring onions in the Sunday Suppers at Lucques book!
Nice! We pick up our CSA personally, and this reminds me, I need to send in my order form for additional products.
Love CSAs! I hope you have fun coming up with ways to use your bounty each week. :-)
Love CSAs! I hope you have fun coming up with ways to use your bounty each week. :-)
Love CSAs! I hope you have fun coming up with ways to use your bounty each week. :-)
Love CSAs! I hope you have fun coming up with ways to use your bounty each week. :-)
Love CSAs! I hope you have fun coming up with ways to use your bounty each week. :-)
CSAs are great. The only thing that could be better is having a garden full of vegetables so you could make a salad like this: http://wp.me/p44c6k-xn
Apples? In April? Not even California is that good. You paid good money for 5 month old fruit.
You get your CSA share in the mail? Doesn’t that kind of ruin the support local agriculture concept?
You get your CSA share in the mail? Doesn’t that kind of ruin the support local agriculture concept?
You get your CSA share in the mail? Doesn’t that kind of ruin the support local agriculture concept?
You get your CSA share in the mail? Doesn’t that kind of ruin the support local agriculture concept?
You get your CSA share in the mail? Doesn’t that kind of ruin the support local agriculture concept?