Aug
Exquisite Self-Care: My CSA Produce Box
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Last year, I listened to several of my friends talk about their CSA boxes. I had no idea what they were talking about. CSA what is that? For the longest time, I could not even remember what the acronym stood for, now I know that CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Basically, it is a program that allows you to purchase a box of produce each month from local farmers. Here is an example of some of the locally grown, organic fruits and vegetables that are available:
| Carrots | Summer Squash | Winter Squash | Potatoes |
| Cauliflower | Eggplant | Sweet Corn | Watermelon |
| Asparagus | Cucumbers | Cabbage | Strawberries |
| Tomatoes | Greens | Celery | Cantaloupe |
| Peppers | Kale | Herbs | Onions |
| Beets | Spinach | Salad Mix | Kohlrabi |
| Broccoli | Brussels Sprouts | Snap beans | Leeks |
| Lima Beans | Peas | Radishes | Swiss Chard |
| Strawberries | Melons |
I love getting the mystery package. I never know what is going to be inside the produce box. It is exciting, kind of like my own present each week. It inspires me to try new produce and it feels great to have an abundant amount of produce on hand so each summer meal can have at least two kinds of fruit/vegetables. For instance if I have 2 kolrabi, then I can saute one and serve one raw. Or, I can roast half the potatoes and use the rest for homemade mashed potatoes. FUN and delicious! I have learned to cook fresh beets and all kinds of produce that I might have only had frozen or in a can in the past.
I would strongly recommend either participating in a similar program or simply making a stop at a local framer’s market to see which produce is locally grown. Remember that the best way to enjoy fruits and vegetables to purchase is locally grown and in season. In addition to “making your plate look like a rainbow” another tip is to “eat close to the earth” meaning that the food that you eat should change as the seasons change, for instance, eating strawberries when they are in season taste delicious and are quite affordable, yet, when strawberries are purchased in the middle of the winter they are expensive and tasteless. The same is true with cantaloupe, a piece of fresh cantaloupe while in season tastes like candy, yet a piece a cantaloupe at a salad bar mid-winter tastes awful.
This is also a great way to get your children to like fresh produce and to re-introduce yourself to fresh fruits and vegetables.
There is always so much to learn about food and food preparation and it can be both fun and enjoyable. I like to try a new food item or recipe each week so with the CSA box, that makes it easy to for me to meet my goal.
How do you encourage yourself to eat a wider variety of fresh fruits and vegetables?
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Having recently been gifted two boxes of produce from a friend’s CSA membership I can attest to the fun of opening the box and seeing what I will be eating that week. Also, sometimes it is great to not have to make any decisions or be overwhelmed at the Farmer’s Market or the grocery store. It also felt like a gift from someone who wants the best for you; the freshest and healthiest produce as well as a visual treat. Another form of exquisite self care, I like that!
Receiving the two boxes of produce reminded me of something I like to think about from my past. In my very early 20′s I worked for the legislature here in Annapolis. One January morning a truck delivered a huge amount of boxes to the State House. Later that day all of the boxes were delivered to the legislative staff. I was delighted to open my box and find Corn Meal from Ellicott City, canned tomatoes, bean and beets from Harford County, Applesauce from Frederick and canned crab meat from the Eastern Shore as well as flour from Wye Mills. Truly, I felt like a child on Christmas Morning. I had moved here recently from New England and this was a magic moment of Southern hospitality. In a way it was a CSA box ahead of it’s time, a gift of bounty.