First, I'd like to apologize for the long hiatus between posts. If it counts for anything, I think about posting at least once a day. Then, somehow, life gets in the way.
Now I'm going to tell you why joining a CSA is one of the best ethical-eating moves you can make. For those unfamiliar with the term, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Basically, CSAs are farms - or sometimes, groups of farms - that offer "subscriptions" to their output. Customers subscribe to a CSA by paying a fee, and in return, they receive a box of food on a regular basis. There are CSAs for fruits and vegetables, as well as some that offer eggs, dairy, meat, or even fresh flowers. You can find a CSA through Local Harvest, or you might inquire at your local farmer's market.
G and I recently signed up for a CSA with Full Belly Farm, an organic farm in Guinda, California. Our decision to go with Full Belly over other CSAs was a bit arbitrary, but I liked that a) they have a booth at our farmer's market, b) someone recommended them to me personally, and c) they are certified organic and somehow still inexpensive. To give you an idea: we initially signed up for 4 boxes, to be delivered every other week. We paid $68 ($17/box). Each box contains 6-8 different vegetables (and occasionally fruits), the right amount for us to use up in two weeks, given that we occasionally go out of town or eat out. The picture at left is the contents of one of our boxes (the bag in the back contains stir-fry greens). Full Belly drops off their boxes in different locations throughout the Bay Area, and our location is a mere three blocks from our apartment.There are several textbook reasons that CSAs are worth trying. First, they provide a more regular and predictable income stream to farmers than do Farmer's Markets, enabling farmers to better manage their resources, forecast demand levels and plant accordingly. Second, by supporting local farmers, you ensure that your food travels as few miles as possible and will be as fresh as possible on your plate. Third, if you buy from local farmers, you are better able to learn about their growing practices, including treatment of their laborers, sustainability initiatives, etc. (G and I hope to visit our farm in the spring and see for ourselves!)
But here's the kicker: CSA boxes force you to get creative in the kitchen and to eat foods that you might not eat otherwise. We all know that we're supposed to eat a variety of foods. But if you're like me, you have a regular rotation of foods you buy and recipes you make. In terms of vegetables, my go-to choices are spinach and carrots, and even at the farmer's market I tend not to stray too far from the norm. With the CSA subscription, however, I don't get to choose which veggies come my way. And I can't bear to waste food. So when I receive my CSA box, I find myself poring over recipe books and sifting through websites to find recipes that will showcase my CSA veggies. This has proven an exhilarating adventure, a sort of Iron Chef without cameras or competitors. Best of all, G and I are eating more vegetables than ever before.
Some examples:
- In our first CSA box we received Kabocha squash, which I had never used before. I made a delicious squash soup and recently had the leftovers from the freezer. It held up beautifully.
- This week we received some beautiful red beets with their greens attached. Normally I'm not much of a beet person, but I adapted a recipe I found online and made a lovely roasted beet salad on a bed of beet greens. Delicious! I've written out my recipe below. I had never cooked with beet greens before.
- Yesterday, I found myself with a head of red cabbage and some leeks. I adapted a Cooking Light recipe for Moo-Shu vegetables, switching the green cabbage for red and the green onions for the leeks, and throwing in some chicken for protein. I was quite happy with the outcome, and G had seconds.
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Jill's Roasted Beet and Beet Greens Salad
5 small beets w/ greens attached
2 t. olive oil
1 t. balsamic vinegar
sea salt
1 t. olive oil
2 t. cider vinegar
1 t. sugar
2 T. chopped walnuts
2 T. crumbled blue cheese
Chop off beet greens, wash, and set aside. Wash beets and trim ends. Wrap beets in foil and roast in a 425 F oven for 50 minutes, or until tender (test with a fork). Remove, cool, and slice into 1/2 inch wedges. Toss with oil, balsamic vinegar, and a dash of freshly ground sea salt.
Heat 1 t. olive oil in a saute pan, and add beet greens. Cover and cook 1-2 minutes, until wilted. Add cider vinegar and sugar; toss to coat and cook 30 seconds more. Place greens on plates; top with walnuts, blue cheese, and roasted beets.
Serves 2, generously.
