How I Learned to Eat My Vegetables

Lately I’ve been daydreaming about the late summer, when all my favorite fruits, vegetables and herbs are at the peak of their season — tomatoes, eggplant, grapes, basil, summer squash, to name a few.

That I’m excited about all the locally grown and organic produce that is coming my way is a bit of a departure for me and my food habits. That’s not to say I didn’t ever eat fruits and vegetables, or I didn’t ever enjoy them, to be clear. I’ve only met one fruit I didn’t like (grapefruit — way too sour for me!). I liked plenty of vegetables, too, though I found plenty to be way too intimidating to even try. I’d buy a bunch of kale at the supermarket, but it would make its way to the back of the fridge after agonizing about how to cook it for a week straight.

So what has changed, then? I’ve transformed my relationship to fruits and vegetables, and I’ve come to appreciate them in a totally different way. And I have my CSA box to thank for that.

Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA’s, connect consumers to farms. You pay a fee upfront, and you pledge to support, and take on the risks and benefits, of the farms. In exchange, you get a box of fresh produce every week. In most cases, it’s the farm, not you, that picks out the vegetables.

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Sarah M.

1:44PM PDT on Apr 11, 2012

I've been wanting to join a CSA, thanks.

April 11
send a green star

Kristine W.

7:42PM PDT on Apr 7, 2012

Thank you so much for sharing this article! I never even know that CSAs existed!! I used the links you provided and found a farm only an hour away! :D