CSA programs

2bmrslove

Does anyone participate in a CSA program? DH & I are thinking about joining. What do you like/dislike?

www.localharvest.org 

smb29

I tried one through work.  What I didn't like was that it was too much food for the two of us to use in a week or so, and there was a lot of "weird" stuff that we didn't like.  Its nice to get things seasonally and to try new veggies/recipes, but you can only eat so many beets or so much kale or whatever, and you can get weeks and weeks of something when its being harvested.

katattack

We use Johnson's Backyard Garden (www.jbgorganic.com), and we love it!  It does get repetitive at times (if I never see another eggplant, I'll be fine with it), but it also encourages us to get creative.  Keep in mind though, that we are big veggie people, we haven't really met one we don't like.  So if you're not huge into a variety of sometimes uncommon vegetables, probably not the best idea.

We also got a Food Saver vacuum sealer, which you can use for the fridge or freezer.  That helps with making sure things don't rot too quickly, etc. Ours also lets you choose how often you receive a box.  We do weekly, but there is a bi-weekly option. 

jakbtx

We do Johnson's too. we split the box w/neighbors bc we have a hard time using up all the food. I like how flexible they are, like katattack said, you can do biweekly, you can also sign up for a month, take a break for awhile and then get right back on. they also have several pickups all over austin. 

right now we are taking a break, but Johnson's has a strong presence at the farmer's markets around town so we are getting stuff there. i suppose the downside is you have to be prepared to eat eggplant or okra (or whatever it is) for weeks. but we do love them!!  Johnson's will also post on their website what they have in their boxes right now, & they also post a lot of links to recipes, etc on their FB/twitter feed. 

cookie1and2

We do Johnson's too.  I love their flexibility of taking off a week or so when we don't need the food. 

Yes, you do get tired of okra and eggplant (I think we're out of that season for a while), but it's greatly increased our vegetable intake, especially the kids.  This week I've been sneaking spinach and kale into everything, and I have a kale soup in the crockpot right now.  It's fun seeing the kids try new vegetables.  My 3 year old is a big fan of chinese cabbage--I would have never known if I hadn't been forced to cook two head of it in the last two weeks  It seems expensive at first, but our grocery bill has gone down because I only hit the grocery for occasional dairy items, meat, and fruits now.   

ditzydi_2000

We got CSA shares through Greengate Farms off of 969 and Decker.  We loved it but like a pp mentioned it was a lot of veggies and a lot that I didn't know what to do with.  I saw it as a challenge and managed to make things with most of the stuff.  Due to massive amount of veggies they gave us, we got veggies every other week which is half a share.  And then we had enough to even split it with my IL's.  So it helped cut costs and the likelihood that the stuff would go bad.  I miss it but I just don't have as much time to research recipes for all of the veggies right now.  So when I want local veggies I think I'll go venture over to a farmer's market.