This is a Guest Post by the Super Amazing One Hundred Dollars a Month reader Mel {she’s the one who made A Freezer Meal Menu Plan for Four Month’s Worth of Meals, and then made a Big List of Freezer Meal Recipes and Freezer Meal Cooking Tips. Mel has also shared how she made all those AWESOME gift bags and shared her recipe for DIY Lemonade Concentrate}. I think at this point, we pretty much all want to live next to Mel. I know I do! 😉 Here is her latest post:
Our CSA Experience
Over the years, I’ve perfected my freezer meal game, but I still struggled with my vegetable game. Most of our frozen main courses had some vegetables in them, but I like having vegetable sides with meals to liven them up and make the main course stretch a bit further. But, even with having our main courses set, I still couldn’t seem to keep up with the veggies. There were a number of issues:
We have a garden, but it’s unreliable. We can grow tomatoes, garlic, and herbs pretty reliably, but everything else is extremely unpredictable. Even if everything worked out every year, we’re limited on space. So, I cook what we can grow, but what we can grow varies hugely year to year. Fall/winter gardening is especially challenging since it gets dark before I get home from work.
I psych myself out. We grocery shop after work on Friday nights. It’s quiet and a good use of time when we’re too tired to do much else, but it’s also a time when I’m not super motivated. So, I’ll tend to choose vegetables that are easier to prepare, even though later that week I might have the energy to deal with something more involved. I call this “vegetable lazy.” The result? We tend to buy the same things every week, so we get bored and lack variety, especially in winter when there is less is in season.
Our local grocery stores are not great. Okay, grocery stores vex me for a number of reasons–why do carts have cup holders but not a place to put my phone so I can view my shopping list hands free!?–but our local stores are often just laughably bad on produce quality. Perfectly good-looking onions will be rotten inside. Fruit flies abound. I’ve seen moldy piles of zucchini sitting on shelves. Even when the produce looks okay, it rots at an alarming rate, perhaps because it’s been shipped from who knows where, so I can’t always cook everything before it becomes compost.
We try to support local farms, but the infrastructure just isn’t there. Our farmers market is only open from Easter to Thanksgiving, and only on Saturday mornings. Since we grocery shop Friday night, that would be two trips pretty much back to back, plus an additional grocery run if any of the farmers market stuff required extra ingredients. It’s a great market, but the hours make for very inefficient meal planning and very crowded shopping.
So, with all that in mind, I started considering a CSA (community supported agriculture), where you buy weekly boxes of vegetables from a farm. Our area has several CSAs, but the pickup is usually…at the farmers market on Saturday mornings. If we could make it to the farmers market reliably, we wouldn’t need a CSA! Pickup aside, I had other concerns as well.
First, CSAs are notorious for providing challenging quantities of unusual vegetables, and I didn’t know if I would be able to deal with that if I couldn’t even convince myself to buy more labor-intensive vegetables at the grocery store. Second, I worried about the cost; most CSAs were around $30 a week, which is comparable to what we spend on produce, but I wasn’t sure if the money would go as far. Third, most of the CSA options seemed to be pretty limited in terms of variety. One did not have corn or squash, others did not have winter shares, etc. The CSA was looking like another vegetable dead end.
But then, I stumbled on one CSA that seemed a little different called Chesapeake Farmery. It delivers straight to the homes of subscribers, it pulls from multiple local farms for maximum variety, and it is year-round. It is not organic certified, but it does use organic practices.
The price was comparable to other CSAs at $28 a week, but the price included home delivery and for $4 extra a week (25% less than our grocery store price), it even included eggs. You can pause your delivery if you go on vacation, and you can also opt out of items you just don’t like.
Beyond that, it seemed like it was run by really good people; they employ adults with special needs, and they donate to a variety of local causes. I hesitated for another 10 months or so, but then, heading into a fall so busy there was no hope of a fall garden, I decided to try it. After a few months of deliveries, I am now kicking myself for waiting.
For the most part, the adjustment to weekly CSA deliveries was seamless. The CSA veggies last much longer than store bought, the amounts are generous but manageable, and the variety (thanks to the inclusion of items from multiple local farms and occasionally an item or two from select farms elsewhere on the East Coast) has been amazing. The flavor is also really impressive—those Red Delicious apples were actually delicious.
Our bag of goodies is delivered on Friday to a cooler on our porch, and I take a photo each week so I have a quick reference of what we have on hand. I sometimes buy a few other produce items from the grocery store—usually fruit or maybe a random veggie to round out a recipe—but the CSA is probably 90% of our produce, and our grocery bill has decreased by about the same amount as the cost of the CSA.
The price has pretty much worked out to $3 a vegetable, but that includes delivery and supports small, local farms. As much as I worried about not being able to deal with what is delivered, I’ve found that it’s actually much easier to just be assigned vegetables than to choose them myself. Here are some of the things we’ve made (some recipes were adapted based on what was delivered):
Fennel Orange Salad with Orange Honey Dressing
Broiled Grapefruit (with French toast cups and syrup for dipping)
Cinnamon Brown Sugar Butternut Squash
Salad with Ranch Dressing and Potato and Fennel Gratin (with Oven-Fried Chicken)
Ravioli with Parmesan Cream Sauce and Roasted Broccoli, Peppers, and Tomatoes
Sheet Pan Nachos with Extra Veggies
Pasta Aglio e Olio (with Shrimp)
Everyday Kale Salad (with Scrambled Eggs and Garlic Bread)
In addition to specific recipes, I’ve developed some general strategies for using up CSA veggies:
- Roasting a pan of assorted veggies and adding them to a dish or serving as a side,
- Mixing a salad of whatever veggies we have on hand (these can be rounded out with beans, meat, roasted red peppers, eggs, croutons, nuts, etc.) and topped with a dressing that matches the meal we’re having,
- Topping sandwiches,
- Using our spiralizer to mix zoodles into pasta,
- Snacking (plain or with a dip or spread like hummus, ranch, guacamole, or a cheeseball),
- Wilting (kale, spinach, bok choy, etc.) into soups or pasta,
- Frying or sautéing as a side,
- Grating for muffins, breads, cookies, or cakes. I’m trying out kale cookies this weekend.
CSA Vegetables working their way into every corner of my lunch: leftover roasted broccoli, zucchini muffin, homemade hamburger helper with bok choy, and grape tomatoes
So, cooking has been remarkably simple. I just use up the vegetables we get each week, sometimes finding a new recipe and sometimes just using a variation of an old favorite. We’re eating more vegetables than we used to (my husband and I calculated that we’re each eating about 1 lb. of veggies a day), but it’s somehow easier to use them up knowing that we need to clear fridge space to make room for the next delivery—that really pushes me to use up that last carrot or pepper.
We’re also eating a better variety of veggies. For example, we like fennel, but I never buy it, so it’s nice to be reminded about it. My husband loves mushrooms and avocado, and I’m not a fan, but it’s nice to have them delivered so that I can prepare them for him.
I also learned that I like sugar snap peas; I always preferred snow peas because the sugar snaps from the grocery store were always so tough and starchy, but they’re entirely different fresh. With the exception of a few mushrooms that I missed during Thanksgiving week, we also have been able to use everything, and it’s really nice not having produce always going bad in the fridge.
One thing that has been a little trickier is storage. Even though the produce is super fresh, the CSA typically only uses paper bags, which are great for transport but less great for storage. I really love the eco-friendly part of that, but I didn’t know how to store items like lettuce without plastic produce bags.
For a while, I recycled a few grocery store produce bags I had, but I wanted to avoid limited use plastic since it isn’t even really the best way to store vegetables. I looked into special storage bags like these and laughed SO HARD at the idea of paying that amount for a single bag.
I tried sewing one bag myself as a test, but I had trouble getting the size right, and I realized I really dislike the flap closure design since it makes it hard to get delicate stuff like lettuce in and out. Finally, I realized that a bag is unnecessary, and I started wrapping lettuce and greens (and even broccoli) in a damp dish towel.
I gather the ends of the towel and secure with a rubber band, and then put it in the crisper drawer to help lock in the moisture in the towel. This setup makes it easy to open and close the towel to grab a piece of lettuce for a sandwich, and it’s also a cheap, no-sew, and one-size-fits-all approach. Best of all, it actually works! The damp towel seems to really keep greens fresh.
For other vegetables, I have been using these OXO containers since I already had them. I’m not wild about the space they take up, the fact that the lids just sit on top, and the fact that you have to replace the ethylene absorber cartridges, but they do work pretty well. And I like that the colander insert in them makes it easy to wash veggies. Speaking of colanders, I have gotten reacquainted with my salad spinner, which is the best way I’ve found for washing and drying greens and also for storing washed greens.
All in all, we’re thrilled with how this experiment turned out, and we’re excited to see where it goes next. Our chickens have just started laying eggs, but we’ve decided to continue receiving the CSA eggs as well since we can always give away extras and since we’ll need the delivery in winter anyway.
We’re still using up freezer meals from the fall, so it may be a bit of an adjustment when we go back to regular meal planning, so one of my goals for the year is to make our own spice mixes for some of the vegetable recipes we’ve discovered so that they are even easier to prepare. I’m also interested to see how the CSA changes by season and how well I’m able to juggle summer deliveries in addition to the tomato explosion that occurs in our yard each August.
But even though we might have to adapt slightly to what’s in our freezer or garden, I still feel grateful each Friday when we go grocery shopping and I can more or less bypass the entire produce section. Now, if only I had Mavis’s local bakery.
~Mel
Wendy Clark says
Mel is just amazing. I love her guest posts. Thank you for the pictures with the recipes. Adding some of them to my list for next month.
Mel says
Thanks! I get so many ideas from Mavis, so it’s fun to be able to share one or two of my own. And I hate to say it, but there were even more pictures to start! Everything we make from the CSA seems to turn out so picture-perfect, so I tried to really trim it down to the most useful ones. I hope the recipes turn out just as well for you!
Tracey says
Wow. Just wow. Is the house beside you for sale? 🙂 I love the trick with the dish towel for greens. I’m definitely going to use that! You are really inspiring. Thanks for sharing.
Mel says
I believe one or two houses down the street are in fact for sale!
And I’m so glad that trick is helpful. It took me FOREVER to find that solution, but it works incredibly well. I will say that darker towels might work better if light stains from things like lettuce stems bother you, but that’s about the only improvement I’ve found.
Lisa says
My 13yo son is an aspiring chef and I let him pick out stuff he wanted to try making for the week and that exact pasta aglio e olio (no shrimp) was on the list and we made it last night. Sadly, it didn’t turn out quite right. I think we’ll try it again with some adjustments.
Mel says
That’s an impressive teen! I’ve made it twice, and it was good both times, but the first time definitely went better. I think the timing is the tricky part–keeping the pasta hot, having the water ready, etc., so I try to get everything washed, cut, chopped, and ready to go at the start. The first time I made it (that photo) was absolutely perfect, but the second time I definitely overcooked the garlic. It never seems to brown for me, so I just have to remember to test it instead of just watching. I hope the next time works out!
Lisa says
The garlic was a little overcooked, so it was definitely brown. I think we should take the heat down from medium high to medium. We have an electric stove, so I usually keep everything at medium unless I’m boiling water or simmering something. Also, it just seemed like it was super oily. Never got to the creamy phase. I think turning down the heat should help with all those things. And back off the crushed red pepper a bit. My son loves Binging with Babish. He’s also made his mac and cheese and that turned out really well.
Mel says
We also have an electric stove, and I do keep it a bit lower, so that may help. Ours got to the creamy stage both times, but maybe the amount of pasta water or tossing has something to do with it. I boil the pasta in less water than I normally would to make it starchier.
You’ll have to get him a tiny whisk! I have a couple friends who are Babish fans, and I got them tiny whisks for Christmas.
Anne in VA says
Our local produce stand does a winter CSA starting in Dec. and running for 12 weeks. It just ended and I’m sad. We get 5-6 products per week but must pick up at their roadside stand. Over the years I’ve found there are a few products that I just can’t prepare in a way to make them palatable to our family, so I just drop them right into the chicken house and feel no remorse over it. Most of the items keep for a really long time – winter squash, cabbage, sweet potatoes, etc. I love the variety of fresh, local products and the added challenge of learning to prepare some things I’d never heard of. They provide recipe suggestions for unusual items. Slaw made of boc choi is marvelous, keeps a long time and is enjoyed by my whole family.
I have found participating in this forces me to use more veggies and plan out our meals to incorporate what we’ve got.
I tried a summer CSA and thought it was a waste since I can stop at the produce stand on my way home and get what I want/need and I had most of the items in my garden and didn’t need extras.
I have friends that I have tried to sell on the CSA and they are intimidated by the whole concept.
I’ve read about other CSA models where you get unreasonable quantities of things (bushels of corn in the summer or multiple boxes of fruit in season) and they hold no appeal to me. That happens with a garden and being neighborly with sharing. I would not enjoy rearranging my schedule to deal with an unexpected load of a product I don’t care for.
Mel says
Yes, I love the year-round nature of this CSA, but I might feel differently if summer crops did better in our yard or if farm stands were an option. I like the idea of dealing with huge amounts of veggies in season, but I don’t know that I could do it all the time. We can also opt out of certain items, but I haven’t done that, and we haven’t run into anything we haven’t been able to use. Our chickens do get the scraps though.
Sherry in Sumner says
Years ago I read a tip about using dampened worn out dish towels to store produce. You’re right, Mel, it works great. I use one towel per item, but not the big flour sack towel, and then put the wrapped lettuce, etc., in a plastic bag ( not sealed) so the produce doesn’t dry out. Everything stays nice and fresh until it’s all used up.
Mel says
Yup! It works great, and I can’t believe how long it took me to figure it out. I throw ours into the crisper instead of plastic bags, but the effect is the same!
jillyk says
I love this post. So, I searched online for a local CSA. We live in the citrus belt here in SOCAL (Redlands/Yucaipa) with a handful of pick your own(seasonally) and many small farms. And that is just here in Redlands/Yucaipa. But most sell oranges, avocados, etc. and like you Mel the farmers markets are part of the year and on Sat. I was shocked to find that the CSA closest to us is 33 miles away. I will ask around but I am not driving that far for veggies.
Our local grocery store…Stater Bros, Aldis, Vons, Trader Joes, Sprouts, and a few others are not impressing me with their fruits and veggies. for the past year or so. Two bunches of bananas were rotten inside and some fruits and veggies going bad after a day or two like you said. We certainly have the room to grow our own…heck maybe even start a CSA lol, but not this year.
I will keep looking but still shaking my head that nothing is closer to us.
blessings, jilly
Mel says
That’s a bummer, but I’d definitely keep trying! I found ours sort of by accident—I had searched Localharvest.org, and Chesapeake Farmery isn’t on there. I think I found it by Googling something like “CSA that delivers.” It looks like Robin in SoCal posted a link that could help as well!
And there may be hope for your local grocery stores too. Our store recently started stocking local milk, and I definitely located the nearest security camera by the dairy case and gave it a thumbs up!
Good luck!
Robin in SoCal says
http://www.farmfreshtoyou.com/
You might give this org a look. I live in the Corona area and have a delivery every other week to my door. I’ve used this service for over four years and never had a bad experience. The produce/fruit is always fresh. I customize my box and keep my spend under $30 for each delivery. You can stop the delivery at any time.
Robin in SoCal says
Here is a link to the produce delivery org we use. Been subscribing for close to four years. Everything is always picked fresh, high quality, and delivered to my door. I keep my spend set at under $30 per box.
http://www.farmfreshtoyou.com/
Mel says
That’s so neat!
Nancy D says
Gosh! Thanks for all the info Mel! My mom has been using the wet tea towel method for years and you can wash leaf lettuces and lay the whole wet leaves individually side by side and roll up the towel. So when you need a fresh crisp washed leaf you just unroll what you need one by one. They stay perfect a long time and don’t need rewetting!
Gonna try some of your other ideas also!
Mel says
Good to know! I mostly use the salad spinner to store washed greens, but there’s really no reason why the towel would not work there as well. Definitely useful for BLT season! I hope the other ideas work for you as well.
Marcia says
This is an awesome update. We used to have a traditional CSA from a local farm (for 15 years), but they closed down about 5 years ago. Then we switched to one more like this one – a produce delivery service that pulls from multiple farms. Last year we added a second, so we get a delivery on Saturday at home and a delivery on Tuesday at our elementary school – from a different service. We get some pretty great variety and it lasts quite a long time.
To keep produce fresh, we use plastic bags and tupperware. I sort of hate it, because we use our old bread bags, so everything looks the same – it’s all stored in green plastic bread bags! But it does keep everything fresh.
Mel says
Thanks! And I’m so glad you were able to find a new CSA. I’ve already grown quite attached to ours.
For everything looking alike in the bread bags, do you mean it makes it hard to tell the items apart? If so, reusable colored twist ties might work: green for lettuce, red for peppers, orange for carrots, etc. You can see at a glance what’s in each bag based on the tie.
Mimi says
Mel, you are a true inspiration! What a great CSA story. You can’t beat home delivery! We subscribed to a CSA in our former hometown and loved it. They delivered a generous weekly box of fruits and veggies to our farmers market just a 1/4 mile from our house. Since moving we haven’t found a CSA that suits our needs but your post makes me want to search again. I always enjoyed the challenge of using what was given to us and I know our diet was much better then.
Mel says
Thanks! And yes, I enjoy the challenge far more than I thought I would, and I’m actually surprised at how easy it has been. I hope you find a new CSA that you love!
Linda says
I would LOVE to have Mel’s recipe for Ravioli w/parm cream sauce, and also the Fennel/Potato Gratin. I like fennel, , but never know what to make with it. Thanks for sharing this post, REALLY enjoyed the great info and ideas.
Mel says
I think the Parmesan cream sauce is linked next to the photo, and it freezes well. I just used that recipe with store-bought ravioli (I sometimes make my own, but I was not in the mood) and then carrots, tomatoes, and broccoli tossed in olive oil and roasted at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.
The Potato Fennel gratin should also be linked—that recipe is for a turnip gratin, but I swapped in potato and fennel. I occasionally like fennel raw in salad, but it also cooks down well. It pairs nicely with sausage so maybe just saute it and toss with sausage and pasta and a light sauce?
I’m glad you liked the post!
Kendra Puzzo says
Awesome reading, and beautiful picture. I am going to check this out in my area. Thank you for sharing.
Mel says
Thanks! I hope you find an option in your area that works for you!
Sandra G. says
I will always wonder why ones food in the stores have frequent flying miles and massive carbon foot print. I have found local produce reflects the area in which one lives.
this a side note you asked if they track your electronic media adventure the answer is yes. Here is resource which may help you
https://www.komando.com/privacy/delete-search-history-from-social-media-and-browser
Mel says
The short answer, I think, is that fuel is subsidized, so it’s often cheaper to ship food in than organize local producers. But as I told Jilly above, our grocery store has recently started stocking milk from a local creamery. I’ve also seen Virginia applesauce (we’re in Maryland), but I forget about it since I make my own. So, no local produce yet, but perhaps the tide will turn if it’s important to enough people.
charwelsh says
For those of you who live on the east coast, try misfitsmarket.com. Organic produce that’s odd-looking or the farmer grew too much. Delivered to your door. Downside is you cannot choose what you want.
Mel says
I looked into that! I probably would have chosen it if we didn’t find our current setup, but the options were a bit too small or a bit too big, and I was trying to stay local enough to avoid shipping. But it’s definitely a very cool idea and a great option if there are no local delivery CSAs available.
Linda Practical Parsimony says
I have been considering a CSA. Maybe I will. Great post.
Mel says
Thanks! It’s definitely worth looking into to see what you find. I was highly skeptical and have really ended up loving it. Good luck!
Janet in Woodway, WA says
Mel, thank you for another great post with good ideas and recipes!! You are awesome!
Mel says
Thanks! I get so many ideas from Mavis and the other readers, so it’s nice to be able to contribute something.
Tammy says
I’ve always wanted to join a CSA, but the cost has been a factor (higher than the ones you listed). I will have to dig around and see if there is something less expensive in my area!
Mel says
I know, some of the prices are sky high! Some of the seasonal ones are reasonably priced, but they sometimes require paying everything up front, so it’s quite a lot even though it evens out. I can’t believe ours is so inexpensive while still including delivery. The next size up is still only $4 more a week, I think. I hope you can find an option you like!
Laura L. says
Mel, I just love your guest posts, always full of helpful ideas and great looking recipes to try. Funny thing is, I just joined a CSA and got my first shipment today and I was pumped, which is a biggie for me because veggies are not in my list of favorites as a general rule. However, I washed, diced, and prepped every last item, some of which I’m having for dinner tonight so who knows, if I find enough really tasty veggie recipes, I may just get healthier in the process. ☺
Your sheet amount of energy with all that you do and describe in your guest posts overwhelms me and at the same time inspires me to do more in the kitchen. I’ve started back to walking 3 x’s a week and I’m definitely going to eat healthier now that I have the veggies and fruits delivered right to my door. Your post was so timely for me in so many ways and I just want to say a big Thank You.
Mel says
You’re so welcome! I had actually always loved veggies, but I was in such a rut on the types of veggies we bought and preparing them the same way, and the CSA has really fixed that. Finding some really great salad dressing recipes helped considerably, and just having more and fresher veggies on hand than usual also made a big difference. I hope it works for you as well!
Laura L. says
Mel, I loved your post today and all the recipes look so delicious. I’m totally amazed by all that you do in the kitchen, with your shopping, prepping, canning, freezing, etc. and the list goes on. Your energy is phenomenal and has certainly inspired me to keep cooking home made meals made with fresh, healthy ingredients. Coincidentally, I just joined a CSA and received our first order today. So many good looking veggies and fruits and I even prepped every single thing in our order and plan on using 2 veggies tonight plus a nice crunchy salad. Veggies have never been one of my favorite food groups but I am determined to become healthier and I’m even back to walking 3x’s a week, so just reading your guest posts here have inspired me to do even better from here on out. So, may I just say a great big Thank You for another fabulous guest post. ☺
Mel says
You’re so welcome! I’m glad it’s been helpful, and it sounds like you’re doing amazing with your CSA!
If you’re not big on veggies, this page might help https://www.tenmothersfarm.com/recipes . They are a CSA in North Carolina, and their recipe index is organized by vegetable (the cucumber salad with garlic and ginger is awesome) so you can find recipes for each type of veggie that you need to use up. Their photo tab is also gorgeous–great inspiration for eating better.
Lisa Millar says
Fantastic post. I enjoyed the read! Hoping this will become more and more of a ‘thing’
We live in a rural area and there are a number of community gardens and people doing veggie boxes. The only place it falls down is lack of awareness and the habit to avoid the supermarket and seek something different.
Your dinners look pretty fab too! 🙂
Mel says
Thanks! I’m so glad you liked it.
And yes, I hope the idea becomes more popular as well. We’re rural too, but not very many people seem to garden. I try to grow extra veggie starts each year and gift them to friends who have the space to garden so they can try it out, and a few have really enjoyed it. Our supermarket has some local items now, so I try to support that, and I wish they would do more to make it easier for people. I grew up in an area with well-stocked farmers markets that were open all day in season, so this area was a huge adjustment for me!
Maxine says
For spices please try Penzey’s. Not sure where they’re headquartered but there’s a store in Rockville, Maryland and they ship, plus have some great deals.
Mel says
Good to know! Thanks!
Jen says
OMG! Just this morning I was looking for a scalloped potato recipe because I got a ton of potatoes in my CSA box and I found one! Thanks for the post! CSA boxes are the VERY BEST! I rarely buy produce at the grocery store. Our box usually has a flyer with a farmer spotlight and recipes included.