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Don't
expect all your produce to come from the
CSA
Most CSAs do not
provide families with enough fruit to meet
their usual intake. Many don't provide any
fruit at all, so it is good to ask what to
expect in that regard. Depending on the size of
your family and how much you cook, you will
probably find that you need to supplement the
vegetables as well, especially staples like
onions, garlic, and carrots.
If you are
not used to eating seasonally, do some
research.
If you are not
accustomed to eating seasonally, you may find
that it takes a while to make a transition from
eating whatever is at the grocery store (pretty
much everything) to whatever is in your CSA
basket (what's in season). It may surprise you
to find that tomatoes do not ripen until August
in your area. You should expect the season to
start off lighter than it finishes. In most
areas, the first crops will be salad greens,
peas, green onions and the like. By the end of
the season, the boxes should be much heavier,
with things like winter squash, potatoes,
tomatoes, and broccoli. Many farms provide a
list of what produce to expect when. It's worth
reading. If they don't offer you such a list,
ask.
Quantity
varies – good to ask up front.
When filling the
weekly CSA baskets, farmers try and provide a
variety of items, in a reasonable quantity.
They don't want to be skimpy, and they don't
want to overwhelm their members. Too much of
even a good thing, and it ends up going to
waste, which makes everyone feel bad. Over
time, farmers develop a feel for how much is
the right amount for their particular community
– what's fair, what's reasonable, what will get
eaten. Of course, the weather and other
mitigating circumstances can get in the way of
their ability to provide the ideal amount, as
discussed above. One of the most important
questions to ask before you sign up is, "About
how much produce do you expect to deliver each
week, and how does that vary from the beginning
of the season to the end?"
If you want
to preserve food for winter,
ask.
Some farms allow
members to get extra quantities of certain
vegetables for canning or freezing. If this is
something that interests you, talk to the
farmer early in the season.
Make sure
you understand the policies.
Farms differ in
their policies regarding what happens with your
box if you don't pick it up (e.g. vacation,
something-came-up, I forgot, etc.) Make sure
you know how these situations are dealt with,
before the season starts.
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from localharvest.org
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