The past two years, this is the time I start getting antsy for the start of the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) season. Not so, this year.
Basically, the summer squash and kale did us in. And sadly, no, I'm not really joking. We allow the older kids to each create a three-item Will Not Eat list. At one point last summer, summer squash was on all three lists. That left a lot of squash for Michael and I to eat. And despite my determination to find ways to prepare kale that we would enjoy, we found a grand total of one recipe we really liked. And it had sausage and heavy cream, so I didn't want to serve it that often.
So this year, we decided to take the cost of a CSA membership ($375) and spend an equivalent amount of money on local produce purchased from road stands or the weekly farmer's market. I'll keep track of what I buy, and at the end of the summer, we can compare it to last year and see which way is the better value for our family.
The CSA pickups don't start this early in June, but one of the advantages of this method is that I can start when I want, so I started yesterday.
Purchased: one head of romaine lettuce, one-pound bag of spinach
Cost: $8.50 ($2 for the lettuce and $6.50 for the spinach)
CSA last year: n/a
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1 comment:
Sounds like a great plan. I found the CSA wonderful when I had lots of time and motivation to use all of my produce, but planning was hard and we often needed to supplement what we received, and we also ended giving away or (ack!) wasting a bit.
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