Oh how I love my summer CSA baskets!

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date

I’m sure Shakespeare was referring to the Summer CSA in Sonnet 18, although he could have been writing about everlasting beauty in female form. It’s hard to say what he was thinking but I like to think he would have adored community supported agriculture.

Let us count the reasons to love your CSA.

The produce is freshly picked.

The flavors are so delicious that I question whether or not these are the same vegetables found in stores. The colors are vibrant and nutrient dense. This weeks CSA harbors a rainbow. Red, deep green, purple, and yellow. Each color gives you different vitamins and antioxidants.

I save money on summer groceries.

When my refrigerator is full of interesting vegetables I don’t feel the need to shop at Whole Paycheck to buy organic produce. Buying produce there isn’t necessarily expensive but I tend to wander out of produce past the cheeses, wines and baked goods where I can spend serious money and buy seriously calorie dense foods.

The contents in my basket are a surprise every week.

Just like Christmas! I open my package and begin to plan my week’s menu. Roasted beets over kale salad with goat cheese. Baby bok choy sautéed with chicken breast seasoned with soy sauce and dark sesame oil. Salmon Caesar salad. Zucchini fritters with cilantro pepper hummus. Snap peas dipped in yogurt ranch dip. I make the veggies the central focus of my evening meals. I add a protein source like legumes, fish or lean meat and my plate is full of real, fresh food.