csa produce box: our first one!

community supported agriculture
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

yay! our box of produce arrived, delivered in the wee early morning hours by the milkman. wondering what's in the box?

- carrots
- cabbage
- spinach
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- cilantro
- 2 different lettuces--romaine & iceberg. i'm not a big fan of iceberg, but this one actually looks good
- cherry tomatoes
- bananas
- strawberries

there's definitely enough here for two people, cooking 3 - 4 days a week for two weeks. i knew it wouldn't have everything we need, so we'll have to supplement with occasional trips to the grocery store for other things like mushrooms, which aren't usually farmed locally due to the dry climate.

except for one moldy strawberry at the bottom of the container, everything looked fresh and in excellent condition--no wilty bits on any produce to be found. the bananas are perfect--not fully ripe, which is great as it will give me some time to eat before they get too brown, nor are they too green.

i will need to be creative with cooking lettuce, since we received two heads. we're spoiled by having mixed greens or arugula for salads, so i will pick up some herbs to spice up the lettuce, and maybe even try grilling the lettuce and serving with cheese.

my only disappointment was that there weren't any beets or squash, which should be in season, but i'm hoping we get some in our next delivery. the tanaka farms newsletter did mention those as being in the box, but that not everyone would get the same thing, and there might be some substitutions based on availability.

the veggies included are basics, the kind most people would use. they can be used to easily make simple dishes--soups and salads, but i find that can get a little boring for my taste which means more creativity in cooking them. it makes sense that the farm would have more basics than unusual veggies that may not be as popular, like asparagus.

as far as value, the cost seems to be cheaper than buying organic from the store, and there's the bonus that they deliver, and of course, supporting local, small farms.