One of the things I missed the most while living in Kazakhstan was fresh produce. Nary a Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods to be shopped. Oh and forget about kale.
Which is why when my husband and I spied a flyer for a community supported agriculture (CSA) program, we jumped at a membership. We subscribed to one before, circa summer 2016, but we struggled with scheduling pick up due to an especially busy wedding season.
This summer, however, I was primarily homebound with my infant. A nearby children’s boutique and play place served as the CSA pickup, which was ever-so-convenient. The pick up, along with the option to dip our toes in via a mini half share, made the subscription a no-brainer.
Our CSA is with Crawford Organics out of Lancaster. There are three seasons: the Early Start (four weeks long), Spring / Summer (seventeen weeks long), and Fall (twelve weeks long). If, at sign up, you know you will be out of town for a pick up, you can go into the agreement sans said days less $33 each.
Every week, we get a newsletter that describes what each type of share (full, mini, fruit) can expect. Also, it verifies whether you even will have a pickup if you have a half share. The newsletter provides conditions of the crops, including photos, happenings at the farm, and recipes for the included produce.
This particular program has half shares (pick up every other week), mini shares (smaller, great for two adults), mini half shares (ideal for testing out the program), and add ons. Add ons have been my favorite part. Options include low spray fruit, eggs, and yogurt. We opted for all three in addition to the mini half share for a total of $385.05. I would do the fruit and eggs again. I did not love the basic plain yogurt; I like Greek yogurt for breakfast and vanilla yogurt for making smoothies. Nevertheless, my husband was able to use the yogurt to make cream based sauces. Hello, alfredo!
Would I resubscribe? Yes, however pick up hours are consistent with the hours of the pick up location, and it is only open from eleven to five. As I recently started a new in-office job, I no longer have the capacity to pick up the share as I did this past summer.
It’s back to Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods for now. At least we will have kale.