The Stone Soup Farm CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) shares have been going strong for over a month now. The early part of the season included lettuces, greens (collards/kale), beets, and herbs. Now that the weather has warmed, we've seen lots more cucumbers, summer squash, purple cabbage and kohlrabi.
I've been pretty pleased with the quality and amount of food that's been allotted to our half share (5-8 lbs/week vs a 10-15 lbs/week full share). The collards, cucumbers, and summer squash have been particularly hearty specimens. Organic and pesticide-free, I was worried that the veggies would be really buggy - but that's not been the case. I'm particularly eager to see okra and tomatoes in the coming weeks: I'm already saving a pinakbet recipe or sinigang recipe for them. I'm also eagerly awaiting to see our first ears of yummy corn!!!
My only battle has been with the lettuces --- these are real vegetables grown in real dirt. Real dirt that is dirty, sandy, and self-multiplying. No matter how much I wash the lettuce, there's always more sand to be found. I'm a visually-picky eater - so any signs of dirt shuts off my desire to eat lettuce that's not cellophane-wrapped. I hope it's only a minor issue I grow out of, but should expect my experience to be any different?
On an extremely positive note, the customer service and education from the Stone Soup Staff has been EXCELLENT. Each week CSA members receive an email with a list of items of the week, some interesting anecdote about the growing season or the goings-on at the farm, and (usually) a suggested recipe. I haven't used any of their recipes yet, but two examples include Coconut Chutney Hor d'ourves with Zucchini and Beet Brownies. Customer education pieces include walking us through the farm decision to pilot biodegradable plastic tarps for young veggie beds... Or to tell us of the painstaking care our farmers have taken to control the troublesome pests like the Colorado Potato Beetles (and larvae) by removing them BY HAND!
If you eat with your eyes, take a look at this gorgeous slideshow of some of the tastiest veggies around.
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