Hello, hello!
It looks like it’s going to be a rainy weekend here in Kingston–but to be honest, I kind of look forward to those grey overcast days; I always feel inspired to create, to read, to cook, to cozy up. You know?
Today will be a short post! I thought I’d share my experience so far being part of a CSA.
For those of you that don’t know, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and basically how it works is that you sign up to be a member, pay in advance and then you get a weekly (or biweekly) share of fresh, local produce for the season (for us, that’s from June until October). If you’re like me, you depend on the kindness of your neighbours to bring it to your fridge every week (otherwise, you go pick it up at the designated location like everyone else).
This is my first year doing it, and to be honest I’d never even heard of a CSA until our neighbours last year not only explained it to us, but then brought us over some of the excess fresh veggies that they received. I remember they gave us a little bundle of beets that looked like radishes, way too many greens and some potatoes and carrots that were still covered in dirt. To me, it felt magical. I instantly wanted to be a part of it.
This year they asked us to go in halfsies with them, and I was immediately in. 
So why join a CSA? Here’s a few reasons!
1. It’s cheaper than going to the grocery store. Even though the initial payment is (a what seems to be a very steep) $500 (or $275 for a biweekly share), it’s for 18 weeks worth of fresh produce. That works out to be less than $30 a week for a pretty substantial amount of veggies. Especially as we get further into the season, the produce gets bigger, and the shares get larger!
2. You get to try vegetables you’ve never even heard of. Garlic scapes, pea shoots, and Nappa cabbage sound like the foods of woodland nymphs. Every week I’m getting things I’ve never even heard of (along with your standard potatoes, beets and romaine lettuce) and getting to experiment with new flavours, new cooking methods, and new recipes! The best part? Learning you actually love these foods that otherwise you wouldn’t have tried! I roasted cabbage for the first time last week, and was so pleasantly surprised that it tasted like sweet brussel sprouts–and anxious to see it pop up in the next week’s bundle.
3. It teaches you to eat in season. When you live in Canada, but have access to avocados and bananas all year round, you forget what food is actually available to you. It’s a bit of a shock when your first pick-up of veggies has to be delayed another week and then finding it to be rather sparse, because this year the weather was colder, which obviously affected the growing season. It’s also a little eye-opening that the lettuce you get from your CSA doesn’t last as long as its pesticide-laden grocery store cousin–that fresh food, has a very short shelf life. But this makes you all the more grateful for the food you do get, and all the more excited as you watch the vegetables grow in size and abundance, week after week.
I feel way more connected to my food. Food that has to be washed, food that has tiny imperfections. Real food. It’s a very humbling experience. If you’ve never tried a CSA before, I urge you to look into it. If you live in Kingston, you can find more information about the CSA I joined here.
Are you part of CSA? How do you feel about it? Do you have a garden? What is your connection to your food? Let me know in the comments!
Have a wonderful weekend 🙂
-Tisha
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