I'm at the halfway point and already thinking about next season. I am on the fence as to whether I should be doing a CSA or just to my local farmer's market. I love what I get from Farmer Dave's and love that I am supporting a local farm, I'm just not sure if I can justify buying a small share just for myself. I will be thinking about this until the last pick-up and would love to know other peoples thoughts.
I did something new this week, something I should have been doing from week one. I purchased some of the Debbie Myer Green Bags a few weeks ago and have been using them inconsistently with mixed results. I have used them in the past and they worked great. They key to them is washing and drying the produce prior to putting the vegetables in to them. I washed and dried everything except for the lettuce and am crossing my fingers and hoping for the best. The line up in my refrigerator is pretty fantastic right now!
1 head of green leaf lettuce
5 ears of corn
4 garden tomatoes
2 plum tomatoes
1/2 pint of ground husk cherry tomatoes
1 heirloom tomato
1 bag of yellow beans
2 small onions
2 chili peppers
1 bunch of Basil
2 green peppers
1 misshapen eggplant
I am starting to think that I should be making sauce and canning some of these tomatoes, but the last few weeks I have just been enjoying them sliced with salt and pepper. My other idea is slow roasting them using this recipe , it looks and sounds amazing. I will keep you posted on what I make!
Hey Jaclyn,
ReplyDeleteI'm having the same thoughts right now. At first, I thought there was no way I could share a small share with a friend but now that the harvest has hit its stride (as well as my own little garden and my friends'/family's), I have more than enough for myself. I might contemplate sharing with a friend next year. What i'm also trying to do is preserve what I know I can't get to in a reasonable amount of time. I've sauteed greens, sauteed zucchini and summer squash, blanched peas and green beans and freezed them all. I've also made some freezable meals (pasta e fagioli and italian giambotta). It is my hope that I'll break into these things throughout the fall and winter. If I'm successful at that, the cost of the share will be well worth it as the produce will last for months longer (and I won't have to go buy any at the grocery store).
Having said all that, alternatively, you'd also be supporting local farms by shopping weekly for what you need at the farmer's market. You could even go to one that Farmer Dave's is at.
Don't let the oodles of fresh produce get you fatigued! I need to take my own advice there...