[misslis]

Thanks to this thread, I've just signed up w/ the CSA program at a local farm here in Washington. It's year-round and they buy from other farms in the winter to allow for more variety in the boxes. The boxes come in three sizes and I pay $29/box for the small one. I didn't have to pay any money up front, they just charge me the day before the pick-up day. I can cancel any time or suspend it if I'm going out of town or something. They also display the contents of your box online the Friday before it ships so you can make changes to it until noon on Monday. So if they put something in it that you hate, you have the option to substitute for something else. AND they let you permanently exclude three things. Awesome! I'm so excited!

[mandalinn82]

I, regrettably, had to drop my CSA box, and I felt TERRIBLE about it. What happened was that the city in which my farm was located had an outbreak of mediterranean fruit fly, which isn't native in CA...they think someone brought back produce from Hawaii or another state where it is a problem...anyway, they basically had to quarantine my farm, and only limited produce could be sent out from them (only items that are proven not to be attractive to the medfly). Since the box was eating such a large portion of my weekly produce budget, I couldn't stick with them with the very limited boxes for very long, so I had to drop it. Which made me feel SOOO terrible, because obviously they need the money most at this time. I just couldn't afford to both support the farm AND buy my conventional produce.

It was a sad thing for MANY reasons, though, including the total loss of the heirloom and regular tomato crops. They did, however, have a tomato-sauce-canning party with the members (apparently you can take cooked tomatoes out of the quarantine zone, but not raw ones). They couldn't even send all the leftover, unsaleable produce home with their workers...it all had to be cooked or destroyed.

[Ready2ShedLBS]

Thanks to everyone here I am going to join an CSA, around here the organic one operates April-November, and its like $720 or $30 a week. Which I spend $30 a week anyways and I dont get near the amount of produce you all are getting and it certainly isnt organic, but WALMART which has the crappiest produce ever but hey.. you have to do what you have to do. Anyways.. yay.

[errantbehavior]

Thanks so much for posting about CSA's. I'd never heard of it before, and the website you gave is wonderful- I found about 6 farms in my area with a wonderful variety.

I'm off to spread the word to everyone I know!

[Spinymouse]

From this week, and last week, and 2 weeks ago,
Anybody want some SQUASH????????????? Of various kinds???????????????
It does inspire one's creativity.

[SoulBliss]

I WISH we had squash! We just keep getting so many tomatoes and lettuces!!! It's not salad weather! I'll post later when I get my CSA box tonight and hopefully there will be something other than TOMATOES and LETTUCES!!!

[SoulBliss]

Well, it was.......drumroll please........ Loads of tomatoes and lettuces again! :/ Oh well. I also got arugula, cilantro, rainbow chard and broccoli. I miss the heirloom tomatoes.