The CSA Box

Because my very good friend moved to San Francisco a few years ago and became a hippie (by St. Louis standards) and suggested I read books and watch movies about the origins of the food we eat, I signed up to purchase a half share in a CSA crop this year. Each week, I pick up a small box full of sustainably grown veggies harvested from a farm about 45 minutes from our home. And each week the farmers are kind enough to send a newsletter explaining the contents of our box, which is great because half the time I have no idea what I'm looking at. Have you ever heard of garlic scapes? And since many of these veggies are new to our household, I'm spending a lot of time searching for new recipes. Sometimes this leads to pleasant surprises, like roasted beets. Yum. And sometimes it leads to a severe dislike of grilled yellow zucchini. Using everything before it spoils has been a challenge and when pickling cucumbers showed up in last week's box I felt like I was given extra homework.

Here's hoping the produce becomes a little more familiar as summer wears on...