fresh from the farm

Today is the first day of my CSA! If you don't know what that is, it stands for Community Supported Agriculture - in short, you buy a share for the season (June-November) and each week pick up a big ol' bunch of fruits and veggies grown by a local farmer, which in our case is One Straw Farm. Four of us decided to share a share, which, according to OSF, is enough to feed a family of four for a week. Financially, it breaks down to about $5 each per week, since we paid for our share early. And guess what else! Our pick up location is about two blocks away at our neighborhood charter school, to which a portion of OSF's proceeds go. The prospect of six months of fresh, locally-grown produce practically delivered to my door just makes me swoon. Between the CSA, my (albeit) small garden, and JFX Farmers Market, I am hoping I can cut back on non-local produce, meat, and dairy (though many doubt I'll be able to resist out-of-season fruits and veggies available at Safeway...). The frequent complaint I've heard is, "there are just SOOO many greens in the beginning!" but I figure it'll just make me get creative and stay healthy. I've already googled several recipes for chard!

So it was with much anticipation that I headed up the hill and found myself faced with heaps of glorious produce, friendly volunteers, and a lovely new reusable bag in which to tote them home (the produce, not the volunteers that is).
Isn't all this rainbow chard just glorious?

On my way home, I had to stop and take a picture of SG and MV's house - it just looked so great with the flowers, new trim, and flag, don't you think?

When I got home I lay out all my CSA goodies and took a photo just for you:

Hmm, looks like I have me lots o' salad in store this week. As I find successful recipes, I'll share them. If YOU know of great recipes for seasonal produce, let us know!
love k