CSA 2012 – Week 1

My family and I signed up for a half-share in a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Farm this summer. Today was our first pickup of fresh vegetables (all organically grown). I’m totally blown away by the beauty of this food.

I wasn’t able to spend a lot of time at the farm today because it was after work, and I had to get home to the family, but my initial impression is that this place is going to be awesome for us this year.

First, Farmer Erin totally has it together with her technology.  Her website is really good (http://www.mudcreekfarm.com/). She sends out email updates, does most of her transactions online, the welcome newsletter was well-done, and she’s doing social media.

Impressed. (Computer geeks appreciate all those things very much)

And she’s super nice, friendly and completely welcoming.

OK, so above all, the food looks and tastes wonderful. I seriously wanted to cry when I saw it all at the farm. Erin and her team have a great setup, you walk in, they clearly show you what you get each week, and you go through the ‘line’ – and pick up your food. Super easy. You can go out back to the pick-your-own section of the farm to pick the ‘extras’. We’ll bring the kids next time for that!

THIS WEEK’S SHARE INCLUDES:
Lettuce
Spinach
Bok Choi
Radishes
Garlic Scapes
Swiss Chard
Kale & Collards
Mixed Greens

We grilled some chicken and I made a bok choi stir fry that was delicious. I used the recipe here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/spicy-bok-choy-in-garlic-sauce/ – I used fish sauce instead of oyster sauce because that’s what I had on hand. I added some of the garlic scapes for extra flavor.

We’ll make some salads for tomorrow and I’ll figure out the spinach and cooking greens tomorrow and this weekend.