Aug 5, 20202 min read

What real foodies eat. {Week 12 CSA}

Updated: Aug 12, 2020

A refreshing trend of recent years has been getting to know your farmer and where your food is grown. A trend you, our dear Prema-carrot-munching reader, know well about.

While small organic farms make up less than 0.1% of America’s farmland, and we have a ways to go to see a complete revolution in our food system, the rise in farmers markets and growing interest in connecting with local farmers are important steps forward. And amid the chaotic COVID era, it seems more people than ever are beginning to seek out local food producers.

By now you’ve heard us wax on and on about the importance of the Community Supported

Agriculture (CSA) model (talk about preaching to the choir!). It’s hard for us to skip a mention of it because it really is that vital to a small farm’s survival (especially in it’s first five years of operation). But despite how important the model is, the truth is that CSA programs coming from a single farm aren't really ideal for most people. Single-farm CSAs, although the original format, are naturally limited to what that one farm grows. And in reality, most farms grow less than 20 varieties of vegetables. Some CSAs seek to bridge their production gaps and collect goods from a wide range of regional farms, ranches, orchards and dairies. These are often a better option for less diehard CSA members, but even still, they pose some challenges for those with a lukewarm love for surprise vegetables.

People who thrive on a single-farm CSA are naturally adventurous–in the kitchen and beyond. They aren’t phased by the mystery veggie line-up each week. In fact, they tend to revel in the surprise and challenge of a box of random vegetables. Some CSA members are culinary wizards and others rarely cook at all, instead eating (or blending/juicing) everything raw. Both kinds, however, appreciate the deep nutrition and fresh flavors that eating from a local organic farm offers.

CSA members are the type to dance with every part of a vegetable (even turning those frilly carrot greens into something garlicky and delicious). They erupt in delight over the first harvest of long-awaited crops like tomatoes, garlic, and melon. And they usually put fresh herbs in anything.

People like to throw around the “foodie” descriptive a lot these days, but we believe its rightful place is in reference to the diehard CSA member. Not only are you a fearless enjoyer of all things vegetal, but you actively care about where and how your food is grown. Does it really get any better than that?