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Tuesday, February 1, 2011

CSA sign-up time

It's Feb. 1. While I'm still clinging to my new year's resolutions, I did finally cross off an item on my to-do---renew my community supported agriculture (CSA).

I first used CSA when I moved to DC (about a year and a half ago). Since I wasn't commuting anymore (with extra time on my hands) and knew virtually no one in the area, I decided cooking would be my hobby.





If you're new to CSA, you can find a local share on LocalHarvest.org. I use Norman's Farm, which features fruits and veggies from multiple farms. For an average of $14 a week, I get more than enough of my fruit/vegetable food group. I do have to supplement it with eggs, dairy, and meats from the regular supermarket. Although the season can start out slow with limited choices, it definitely pays for itself throughout the year. The only downside is that I have to drive to the pick-up site. If you are sans car and prefer delivery, you can also try HarvestDelivered.com, which I've also considered. It's a little bit more expensive since you are also paying for the delivery fees.


The best part of taking part in CSA is that it forces me to eat the good stuff more and explore new recipes for veggies I've never heard of before, like this:

It's called a turban squash. I had no idea how to carve it or cook it so it was a fall decoration last year.

More strangely beautiful vegetables to come in May!