Anyone Ever Done a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Deal for a Season?

I did this for one season, last year. Like B.P said you really need to be resourceful with all kinds of produce. Last year, I received alot of stuff we just didnt eat. I gave so much away that I didnt sign up again this year. I do way better at a farmers market. Make sure you really check into the types of things they grow. Are they big on vegetables or herbs or do they have a good mix of both. I found the farm I went with did alot of herbs so that made up the biggest part of my box. Also, is the farm also doing the farmers market, check to see if your items come before or after the market as I have heard that some give the left overs to the csa people and its really not the best of the crop. Hope this helps and gives things to think about.

A farm near my house does this and I saw them packing the boxes. It looked like really nice stuff. You can't choose what is in the boxes, which is a drawback unless you really can and will use everything they pack in there. For example, you have a lot of recipes for radishes or beets? If do will use pretty much everything, that sounds like a good price for organic produce, esp if its for 20 weeks. I personally like to pick out my own stuff since my husband loves peppers and my son and I like fruit.

Yes, these can be great. If you don't like the first one, try another. Our first CSA was definitely for salad-lovers. I am not. I became the lettuce fairy to the entire neighborhood! Now I stick with CSAs that have a higher emphasis on root and fruit crops.

we did this for a year and loved it! we had to stop cause we couldnt afford it anymore. unlike the two other posters, I actually enjoyed getting stuff i'd never cooked with before! the CSA included recipes in the box for the "unusual" stuff so the customers would have an idea of what to do with it. i also went to my recipe sites (epicurious is a fave) and put in the name of the veggie and usually got a yummy recipe. they usually offer boxes that feed a certain number of people with options for wheat grass or fresh flowers or extra portions of certain fruits or veggies, eggs, all kinds of stuff. call and ask if they include recipes.

My family (of five) belongs to a CSA and I love it. Our CSA is heavy on the greens early in the summer but later in the season turns over to more root vegetables and vine crops. We have a summer and fall half share (we split the boxes with our neighbor) and it is about the perfect size for our family. I prefer the fall share because my kids don't eat a lot greens and I have a hard time finishing all the greens before the next box comes. Our fall share boxes are full of storage vegs (carrots, onions, garlic, potatoes) that last well into Dec (the last pick up is in mid-Nov). Several friends have tried a CSA but didn't like it because they didn't know what to do with everything in the box or their families didn't like what was grown. It does help to be familiar with cooking a wide variety of vegetables and have a family that is open to eating anything.