Well, you may or may not know this but i have ALWAYS wanted to do the CSA program since I heard about it on here.
This year I am VERY close to committing, but I need to get some honest feedback from you all. My CSA situation I am thinking of doing it 2 times a month, but I would be on some sort of rotation to pick up others goods. It is about an hour of a drive and I am REALLY hoping that I can make a block of time on that day. I don't see how it would much of an issue, esp. since it will be summer.
But, the BIG question is it worth it for one person primarily. DH is SO picky when it comes to veggies, so I will be doing most of the eating. I am up for the challenge of making special frittatas and soups for me and of course asking for ideas on here.
So, should I do it? Please help!
"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is." Albert Einstein
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Posts: 1620 | Location: Georgia | Registered: March 24, 2004
Steph, You have been wanting to do this since I met you. I think you should just give it a try. Try for the shortest amount of time that you can commit and just see what you think.
I don't think you're going to be satisfied until you say "I did it."
Dawn
"Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You have to set yourself on fire." anonymous
Posts: 4303 | Location: Indianapolis, IN | Registered: March 15, 2004
I had joined two one year (don't ask, veggies out the yin-yang). I preferred the one where I could pick and choose, as a singleton, even though I had to drive longer.
Um...I drive an hour each way to work everyday, so driving an hour each way twice a month for something I really want doesn't seem out of the question.
I would be afraid of not being able to use all the vegetables and then throwing stuff away and wasting food.
Do you have an extra freezer? Or do you can? Maybe if you could freeze or can what you won't use right away would be a way to minimize waste.
I haven't read all the other posts, but I did one for 3 months where I had to drive 45 minutes each way. I got sick of it very quickly. The produce was good, but since it was a take-what-you-get type of thing I had a hard time planning my meals around it and let stuff go to waste. I thought that I could completely rely on the CSA for all of my produce, but ended up still buying alot at the grocery store.
I did end up deciding that it wasn't worth the drive. Keep in mind, though, that I had 3 small children, morning sickness and some serious life issues at the time.
The best part for me of the CSA was learning how to enjoy new things (like swiss chard, which I would have never bought on my own). I also did have to supplement with farm markets because a lot of weeks we got huge quantities of one thing but not much variety. So plan for that.
----------- Jen
Posts: 2868 | Location: Ohio | Registered: March 11, 2004
don't forget the gas $$... just a thought in case someone hadn't mentioned. it always goes up in the summer. really i did enjoy the food though last summer.
Steph, sometimes three of us have trouble getting through all the produce we get in our bi-weekly delivery. Does your CSA offer a small box option? Ours also has a "mostly fruit" package. If you could get that, would your DH be more likely to share? I also think that splitting it with someone else is a good idea. Then maybe you could also split the pick up duty, and you'd have to make the trip only once a month.
Twice a month, we drive 45 minutes each way to a meat market because it's just THAT much better and reasonably priced than anything we can get near our home (and they can tell us where the products come from).
I guess I'd ask...if this was something say, your husband was REALLY excited about, and REALLY wanted to try, would you be behind him doing it, and help him out? If the answer's yes, then you owe yourself that same consideration and thoughtfulness, I think.
If it turns out to be too much, will the CSA "donate" whatever portions you don't need to a local group or perhaps to others who are enrolled and don't have enough?
(And I don't know if it'll work at your house-or if it's already been in place so you already know the answers ahead of time ...here, the boyfriend has ONE rule for dinner, since it's made for him, by me. He must TRY whatever is on his plate. If he doesn't like it, that's fine. But he's been a little surprised at what he has liked.)
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We did it last year. I could actually walk to the pick-up...but i wish i had just gone to the farmer's market. Apparently it wasn't a good year and even still I had lots of extra. The other thing to think about...i'm totally pro organic but.... i may have been allergic to some sort of organic farmer 'stuff' they use that i had never been exposed to. i personally loved all the veggies, and it was a great way to stay on track and try new stuff... but this year I'm just doing the farmer's market. just my 2 cents...and an hour drive.....that would get old quick.
One hour each way or an hour roundtrip? I think if you had to go an hour each way, you'd get tired of it pretty quick. If that is your situation, I'd look for a farmer's market instead.
----------- Jen
Posts: 2868 | Location: Ohio | Registered: March 11, 2004
...here, the boyfriend has ONE rule for dinner, since it's made for him, by me. He must TRY whatever is on his plate. If he doesn't like it, that's fine. But he's been a little surprised at what he has liked.)
