I am so unbelievably stoked about participating in a local CSA this year. Our share will run this week, through October. I decided to sign up way back in January; I figured that the fees would pay for itself in the amount, variety, and freshness of all the produce we’d receive. Plus, it is supporting a local farm.

Last summer I discovered the awesomeness that is the farmer’s market, and thus participating in a CSA is taking that one step further (I am also thrilled to note that the farmer’s market is now a 5 minute walk from my house 🙂). I chose this farm over other local farms because they have always been friendly, their produce & CSA program are quite affordable compared to others, and they have the BEST onions in the world.

Anyways, we received our box from the farm yesterday:

• fennel (1 bulb)
• kohlrabi (1 green, 2 purple)
• kale (1 bunch)
• romaine (1 bunch)
• swiss chard (1 bunch)
• garlic scapes

I polled some of my friends on Facebook regarding the usage of fennel and kohlrabi, and was thrilled at the suggestions that I received. Over the next week, I hope to post my usage of each vegetable on here (however, with having good friends visit tomorrow through Sunday, it’s going to be a bit tough).

So far the plan is to use the kohlrabi in a stir fry and raw, the fennel in a sausage-pasta dish (thank you Hilary!), the kale for my own lunching pleasure, the romaine for a salad of some sort, and the swiss chard tonight, in some form. The garlic scapes will be used periodically throughout the week with several meals.

Do you participate in a CSA from your hometown? If so, how long have you been participating?