Regaining my Garden + Considering a CSA

Saturday started off a bit groggily thanks to only 2 hours of slumber from the super fun royal wedding celebration day.

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But, it also started off with total deliciousness thanks to brunch at the Flying Biscuit.

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Hubby and I decided to try the brie appetizer.

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It wasn’t exactly what I expected. I’ve had brie wrapped in puff pastry and baked before, but this one was doused with a sweet, creamy sauce and topped with raspberry sauce and peaches. It was pretty good, but I like my pastry flaky and dry. It’s a texture thing. 😉

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Hubby and I also split the High Flyer breakfast. Can you believe this photo shows a half portion!?

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After brunch, hubby and I swung by the farmers market. We decided to not get any veggies since I’m going out of town this coming week, but I did pick up one thing – a sweet banana pepper seedling!

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We have one square left in our square foot garden, and this banana pepper will fit perfectly.

We also took a moment to talk to our vendor about possibly signing up for a CSA. I’ve never done a CSA before, but I have done the home-delivery of organic produce. We did ok with the delivery, but it was sometimes challenging cooking with the veggies we were less familiar with or cooking them at all during our busiest weeks. Of course, I also actually liked the challenge of cooking with unfamiliar ingredients and having a reason to eat in. 🙂 So, we’re still thinking about the CSA.

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I planted the seedling as soon as I got home.

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And while I was in the garden, I plucked some swiss chard leaves for lunch.

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We don’t have much in the fridge right now, so I just pan-fried some Canadian bacon, re-baked a rye bagel, and sauteed the swiss chard.

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Have you ever had garden-fresh swiss chard? It’s unbelievable! Try it!

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After running some errands in house, it was time to get ready for a couple special events!

Reader question: What do you think about CSAs? Any tips or words of advice?

19 thoughts on “Regaining my Garden + Considering a CSA”

  1. Are there any CSA’s near you that offer half-boxes? That’s how I’m going to do it when I first start. It is challenging to cook with what you’re given every week, especially when I like to be in control of my meals! haha

    CSA’s are great. That said, if you have a good farmer’s market, you can get almost everything there on a weekly basis, without any waste if you end up going out of town or just have a busy week, ya know? You’re still supporting local farms. CSA’s are fun though, because they’re always a surprise!

    Either way you go, you’re supporting your local farms and community, so it’s all good!

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    • The one we were looking at does a half-box. But we were thinking it may still be too much. I may just stick with shopping at the farmer’s market. 🙂 Thanks for the tips!

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  2. I don’t know if you have sweet peppers planted close by, but be careful that the banana pepper (if hot) is not planted close to it. I learned this the hard way. They can cross-pollinate and all become hot peppers! 🙂

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    • Ack! Thanks for the warning! I read a bunch of articles online after seeing your comment and it appears that you’re right on. Luckily, the banana pepper is not hot, so I think we’ll be ok. But we came this close *pinching fingers* to buying a jalapeno instead. Glad we didn’t do that! 🙂

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  3. I am going to join Greenling and see how it works. You get a box every week filled with tons of different items. I am so excited!! We started our very our Eat In Month today, my boyfriend is already freaking out. It won’t be too hard for me but he eats out about 6 times a week. I love this idea of eating in! I can’t wait to try tons of new recipes.

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  4. Ooh Nice top! It looks hot, especially with those white pants 🙂

    I actually am thinking of joining a CSA right now, for summer. I love that you can get local and organic produce, and you even know who farmed them. The challenge of cooking and tasting new kinds of produce is also really fun.

    The only downside of our program is that you have to pick it up every Thursday, and that’s not very convenient, since the farm is so far away.

    But I still think that CSAs are amazing, and you should definitely try it if you can!

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  5. I have been wanting to do a CSA for the past few summers but it seems like I’m always on the move so its pointless! And now I’m moving again in a month and again at the end of the summer! So unfortunately for me I can’t do it for awhile! I hope you do it, I know you’ll enjoy it!

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  6. My dining schedule is still very unpredictable, so we aren’t doing the CSA now. Plus, we have a farmers’ market nearby, so we always have access to locally grown produce.

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  7. We did a veggie box for a few months. It was about £12 for enough for 3 people and a box of free range eggs. it was really good and the veg and fruit tasted great but like you mentioned I found i was wasting a load of stuff at the end of the week especially when I was busy. I usually do my menu plan on a sunday and our box arrived thursday so it was a bit out of sync.

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  8. Not all CSAs do boxes: the 2 we’ve been members of let you choose which vegetables you want and how much of each. We love love love our membership-we eat a lot more produce and try a lot of new ingredients and recipes. Plus, its organic and we know where it’s coming from. I can’t imagine going back to supermarket produce.

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  9. I think it would be a wonderful idea to get a CSA. You’ll be able to find out if your digestive tract has good nutrient absorption, as well as if you have a healthy array of bacteria. All of these indicators can point toward particular problems as evidenced in the stool.

    Reply

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