CSA Pickup #14

This was a good week for produce, as the weather takes a sharp shift from summer to fall. The truck was late (again) but the CSA team considerately emailed us, so we showed up a little after five for our booty.

Our CSA pickup location is a school cafeteria, and there are always kids hanging around looking interested in the proceedings. Once I heard a little boy interrogating one of the volunteers about food, muttering after each vegetable was identified, 'I like [corn]...'

This week, we got...

8 onions
1.5 lbs swiss chard
1.5 lbs turnips w/ greens (sweet white Japanese turnips)
1 lb green beans
2 red Italian peppers
1 head lettuce
5 ears corn (so much corn!)
1 bunch parsley
1 head celery

Our farmer did an informal calculation to show us what our average savings might be. We came in a few dollars ahead of the grocery store and farmers market. He very graciously acknowledged that the bargain was not as great as it might seem because we sometimes lose out in quality (hail damage) and choice. Still, he pointed out, we're at least cost-reasonable if not the best deal of the century, and then he very sweetly thanked us. The personal touch is all, and having to eat lots of veg in order to see the milk in the fridge is not a small benefit either.

I worry a lot about wasting vegetables, and about seeing the other items in the refrigerator, so one of the things I am very particular about is prep and storage when we bring our shares home. I try to make sure that everything is visible, airtight if that's its best storage mode, clean, and ready to use. I wash all the greens at once and dry them before storing, and in general try to make sure that dinner doesn't include an element of excavation. Of course this isn't always successful (we just had to compost a whole eggplant, in shame), but it helps a lot, and helps me feel like I know what's in the refrigerator. Some things, like bell peppers, will always pile up, but I'm hoping that the juicer will help me winnow those down. Pepper juice isn't bad at all, by the way.