Lettuce Learn

A couple of months ago I joined a CSA. CSA, stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and this is considered a very green and socially conscious thing to do. I guess the farms make more that way, have more control over their own product, and there is less of a footprint. My produce is from New Hampshire, not NJ, CA, or Mexico.

I was excited the day of the first pickup. I had purchase a Dairy share, which meant I got to choose two Dairy products a week, and a veggie share - they said it was based on a 2-person household, but I thought that would be enough. I walked into the little store with my cooler, smiling at all the people leaving with boxes. And I picked up some milk, some cheese, and an big huge box of organically grown greens. I felt so good, and so smart. I felt enlightened, not like all those other Schlumps that purchase their greens wrapped in styrofoam and plastic at the supermarket.

And then I got home and opened the box.

Whatever it was that made me feel smart immediately melted away as I started at all of the green stuff in the box.

Up to now, you see, I purchased my greens at the grocery, just like all the other Schlumps. I got a head of lettuce, maybe a bag of loose leaves. But the thing is... everything at the grocery store has a tag on it.

I had NO idea what I was looking at. I picked up a bag of something I was pretty sure was spinach, and another bag of greens. There was a bunch of beets, and the a few more bunches of bigger leaves. Were they Chard? Kale? What did those look like again? And what about this other bunch? There we eight different things in there, including things that looked like scallions but were greena and tapered at both ends and looped around in the middle.

I realized that I knew NOTHING! I was worse than a Schlump.

How was I going to figure out what these green things were? And how was my little family going to eat it all in a week before the next pick-up? a 2-person household? Obviously we haven't been eating enough greens!

So now I'm making huge exotic salads every night, putting spinach and chard in everything. I got an email from the farm detailing the contents on the box (sorrel, spicy greens, garlic scapes).

I am now, once again, excited about the CSA. Next time I might also sign up for a Grain share. They also have meat, but I have stayed away. The poultry share this session consisted of six frier chickens all picked up at once, and I seriously doubt I could deal with that kind of meat at one time.

But if you haven't considered a CSA, I recommend it.