my csa!

Today I am so excited. Would you like to know why? It's because I picked up my new CSA for the first time, and this is what I got:


the season's first food co-op share

This is a ridiculous haul for the first pick up of the season, and I actually left behind a beautiful head of romaine lettuce because there were just too many greens! I am just blown away by this spread. Zucchini, summer squash, Boston lettuce, mixed lettuce, a cousin of bok choi, parsley, cilantro, turnips, spinach, mixed lettuce, that big woody kind of kale or whatever, a carton of sugar snap peas.... It's ridiculous. Take another look:


squash, turnips, tatsoi (fake bok choi), and that awful kale

This is my second year in a CSA, or community sponsored agriculture. I go to the food co-op pick up site once a week and pick up that week's share of locally grown organic vegetables and fruit. This year I'm in the Central Harlem CSA at 135th and Adam Clayton Powell. I know it's still early, but I have a good feeling that it's going to be better than the old Norwood CSA Laura and I were in last year. I checked back and our first share there consisted of 4 garlic scapes, 6 scallions, .75 lb mixed braising greens, 6 turnips, 6 of the tiniest radishes I've ever seen and 3 bok choi. Now, the women who were running the distribution tonight were the first to say that this was an unheard of bounty for the the second week of June, but that doesn't make me any less impressed with this new CSA.

Compared to Norwood's, the produce was impeccably clean and large. I thought that food co-ops meant runty veggies covered with dirt. I mean, that's not a problem, but apparently, if you shell out a bit more cash, you'll get prettier produce. The veggie share at Norwood was only $315, but down in Manhattan the lowest available price was $410, and members are encouraged to pay $540 or $625 if they can afford it. I wasn't pleased about the price hike at first, but the location is way more convenient, and now that I've seen the produce, I'm diggin' it.

I don't know what I'll be cooking with my new bounty, but I happen to have tomorrow off so I'm definitely going to spend some time in the kitchen. I am so excited for this season!