As many of you know, I've been hosting a CSA at my home for the past year. I wanted to pass on some things that have been really meaningful for me, and some reflections on the experience.
Some of you may not know what a CSA is, or what it actually means to host one. Community Supported Agriculture allows us to buy direct from the farmer, which ultimately means cheaper produce, a deeper connection to those growing our food, and also more sustainable practices (since the food is primarily local). In addition, our CSA is organic or eco-grown, which means that we ditch the pesticides and herbicides that come with conventional produce, and in the end, we end up contributing to "greening" the earth. Every little step counts. In addition, everything is seasonal, grown in the tri-state area (for 99% of the produce). This means that you get what you get when nature delivers it. An abundance of fruit in the summer, an abundance of roots and greens in the winter.
As a host, I would receive boxes of produce that would be in season, and I'd divide it into shares for people to pick up. So for example, today (December 5th) we received: apples, pears, potatoes, celeriac, carrots, kale, lettuces, bananas (these were not local), tomatoes, oranges, broccoli, and a few other things. I'd divide them all by weight or number in individual share boxes (we had 15 shares total), put extras in a grab/exchange basket (those items not divisible by 15), and put out a sign up sheet where people leave their payment for the next share, and check off that they've received today's share.
There were many unexpected things that I learned from this experience. The first thing that was very evident to me was the seasons changing, and what was available. To be honest, many of us are used to buying what we want, when we want it. Even in December, you can find strawberries. But everything comes with a price. Getting "what we want, when we want it" means that someone has to drive it from the region that it grows (and pineapples don't grow in NJ), and that means gas, travel, time, fumes, paying the driver, and many other facets of the food industry that we don't see. Eating food that is seasonal and local makes sense for these reasons alone, but I also found that it makes sense in other ways: in the summer, my body wants to cool down with fresh berries and lettuce. In the winter time, I want to warm up with a sweet potato, some amazingly sweet apples, and boost my immunity with broccoli and kale. It just makes sense that I crave these things, and never has this been more evident than when I hosted this CSA.
The second thing I noticed is that organic produce isn't always pretty and perfect. And I loved that. I love the spots on the apples (but when you taste them, the flavor is nothing like what you'd buy at a supermarket). I love the non-waxy oranges and the incredible juice inside. I love how the lettuce comes in crazy colors like deep purple, red, brown even, and vibrant greens. I also found that the tomatoes with the little extra give also had the extra flavor in them, especially when made into a sauce. Some people turned their nose up when they saw spots here and there, but I knew the secret (the same secret when my mother cut into the gnarly crab apples from the tree) - they were the most delicious ones! So when they were left behind in the grab basket, I gladly gave them a home. Nature isn't perfect. Heirlooms come with knobs and colors and features not common, and that's what I was after. That's where the nutrition, flavor, and authenticity was.
I also gained a huge appreciation for the farmers. I typically would say a prayer of appreciation before I ate, appreciating the earth for the food, the bees for the pollination, the farmers for the picking, the drivers for bringing us the food, the ones who pumped gas, who bagged it all, the store clerks, everyone involved in getting us the produce. But ever since I started the CSA, this appreciation deepened. The connection for me became closer to those that provided the food that we ate. I became the one who dispersed the food, very early in the morning, on cold days, and I have to admit, sometimes when I'd rather sleep in. One of the deliveries took place during the 2 week outage from Sandy, so had to make due with gloves, a hat and some serious bundling up. But it was all wonderful and fun and creative. I warmed up by the action and exercise of opening boxes, stooping down to pour out beautiful potatoes in the shares. I saw the sunrise, I greeted the truck guy who told me stories about how he met his fiance, and have a beautiful plant-based Thanksgiving. I connected with the workers who talked with the farmers, and to be pleasantly surprised by how quickly they replaced items and often sent extras because the harvest was plentyful. I also connected with the pod members who sometimes didn't know what they were getting but appreciated the opportunity to better feed their families. This was beyond gold to me. I couldn't pay for this. I couldn't even ask for this experience. It was just given to me.
One of the best parts of the CSA was being forced to try something new. We're so "old" in our practices sometimes, when we just buy what we know. Suddenly, I was trying acorn squash, celeriac, green tomatoes, even mini kiwis - they all tasted fantastic and really required me to up my game on my repertoire. No more boring dinners of the same old things. It was during this period of time when I feel I really became a chef.
It was a life-changing experience. I worked through the seasons, smiling at whatever mother nature had to give us, meeting new people, appreciating what it really means to bring food to the table, in a nutritious, organic, clean, whole way.
If you are ever interested in finding a CSA near you, you can visit any of these sites. Get ready to be inspired.
http://www.purpledragon.com/
http://www.localharvest.org/csa/
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