Have you participated in a CSA ( Community Supported Agriculture)? Is it worthwhile?

I took a class on the environment in the fall and we had a discussion about this with the conclusion being you need to be a pretty good cook so when you get a whole bunch of ingredient A you don’t run out of ways to prepare it. You might get a lot of squash and maybe you hate squash. I think in theory it’s a good idea but a lot of people find it doesn’t work out for them, though some swear by it.

It would be awesome if our CSA was SCA.

I’ve been to SCA events. But where I am, SCA is Society for Creative Anachronisms.

I’ve done it, my mother is big on it, my brother is really into it and I have quite a few friends that did it last year, and 2 friends in particular that actually lived at the farm they were working on. It’s awesome. If you don’t like what they give you that week then you give it away or see if you can get something else. Or you find recipes that use it in different ways especially if you don’t necessarily like the vegetable by itself. I dunno, I would suggest anybody do it if you have the opportunity.

I guess I’ll have to wear a breastplate and wield a sword while I cook.

@syz Hehehehe! Maybe you can “Kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit, kill the WAAAAbit.” (Tune from Ride of the Valkyries)

Qingu and I did it this past year. We had a spring, summer, and fall box. Unfortunately, I moved 8 hours away mid-summer, so I can only talk about the boxes I was there for.

First of all, I enjoyed it because we supported a local farm. Our CSA did not require on-farm participation (some do) or offer a discount for it (some do). We got a weekly share at a competitive price for the Chicago market. We had some tremendously bad weather which meant that we got less food than I expected, but it was okay. Split between four people our share was about $7 a week and still gave us food that never seemed to get used in the fridge.

I enjoyed the challenge of getting stuff and then having to figure out how the heck to prepare it. I enjoyed going to the market to pick it up. I did not enjoy the earliest part of the year, when our pick up was way out of the way and generally a pain in the ass. I like our farmer. I’ve never pickled or canned before and the CSA got me to do that. It was kind of an awesome experience—I have pickled mixed peppers in the fridge that I’m super excited about.

I suspect, however, that I am being somewhat overly pleased in my reminiscing. I suspect Qingu has a more current and somewhat different opinion of the entire thing.

I didn’t think it was worth it. It was a pain to have half a box of unused vegetables each week. And also to have to pick it up each week even when you know you’re not going to use it.

But I’m not really a laid back cook—when I make something I like to pick out each and every ingredient—so perhaps there’s that.

I have wanted to get a CSA subscription, but never been able to pony up all the money at the beginning like that. It would challenge me to try new things and learn ways of cooking all the things I have yet to experiment with. It sounds like a grand idea!

If I really don’t like something that much, there’s always a friend or neighbor that would take it. And if I get a whole lot of, say, tomatoes, what better time to learn how to can food?

I do my best cooking “iron chef” style – as in, “Okay, laureth, the ingredient this week is Lots Of Squash! Go!”

We do it both for our meat and produce. Sometimes too many Ruttebeggas but you find the recipe to makeit right. The whole goddam thing about it is buying from the producer. Take out as many middle people as possible and buy direct and let the market set the local price. And, by the fucking way, try locally produced things like elk, bison, emu and ostrich. I’m in a local brew pub…forgive my language

I subscribed to a CSA and loved it! It forced me to cook (and eat) more healthy vegetables.