farm fresh

Every Thursday morning between now and October, I will awake with a giddy sense of anticipation. I will check my email before I head into the office, hoping for a hint of what is to come. I will walk to work inhaling the morning air, which seems to have just a hint of something vegetal in its scent. I will struggle to focus on tasks for most of the morning, but will find myself daydreaming about mixing, frying, simmering.

You see, Thursday is when my CSA arrives.

Last August, I walked by a co-worker's desk to find an overflowing flat of the plumpest, most delicious-looking blueberries I had ever seen. When I asked her where they had come from, she told me she had recently joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) with Viridian Farms. When I pressed for more information, she explained that membership had closed for the year, but (BUT!) she knew someone who had signed up for a share and no longer wanted it. What I did next probably violated the CSA code of ethics, but I'm thankful every day for this transgression: I impulsively emailed one of the farmers and let her know that a friend of mine had signed up for a share and would not be taking it - could I please, PLEASE (waitlist be damned) take her place?

The following week, P and I picked up our first box: peaches, blueberries, a simply enormous bag of tomatillos, asian pears, fava beans, pimentos de padron, and, and, and... We were floored. And thrilled. And most of all, grateful. A) This was some of the best, freshest produce we'd had, even from the farmers market and B) it was far more produce than we felt we had paid for.

Oftentimes when you pay in advance, you save money and a CSA is no exception. When you reserve a share you are committing to support the farmers upfront, during the time of year when they most need the money (spring can a be very difficult for farmers) and they're likely to thank you for it. Granted, CSA's vary in terms of the variety and quantity of produce you might receive, but in general when you buy directly from farmers and, in particular, when you pay in advance for a season of produce it means getting better products at better prices. Your savings probably won't compare with those you can get at a discount grocery, but for the security of knowing where your food comes from (salmonella scares, anyone?) and knowing that it's produced in a manner that is fair and sustainable, these prices can't be beat.

After our first week of gastronomic delights, the ten that followed (which, incidentally, were the same ten that led up to our wedding), were filled to the brim with incredible local, seasonal meals that were completely inspired by and utterly indebted to our CSA. Largely, P and I credit Viridian Farms with launching us whole-heartedly into home-cooking. We have always enjoyed cooking, but before Viridian was a part of our lives, weeks were structured around many nights of dried pasta with sauce and tacos, interspersed with more elaborate meals (mostly on weekend nightS). Being given an assortment of the freshest seasonal produce each week forced us to be creative with our cooking in a way that was utterly painless and infinitely exciting. This enthusiasm carried over to the remainder of the year, when we no longer had our CSA box coming but were so used to experimenting and cooking with whatever was freshest that we scoped out the best grocery stores and dedicated ourselves to market shopping in a way that we never had before.

Being a part of a CSA meant that last year we were able to visit the farm and pick flats of blueberries for $10 (in addition to the flat we got for free). It means that I know, intimately, where my food is coming from and that I have come to know and love the people who grow it. It means that I begin to know the history of the place in which my food is grown -
farmer Leslie's family has been farming for three generations and there is a rosebush on her property that used to be designated for corsages and now provides petals for rose butter and other delicacies. It means that I am becoming accustomed to the rhythms of this place. Our small apartment and tiny yard don't leave much room for the garden we wish for, but I feel in touch with the growing season through my CSA. When we've had a cold spring, like this one, I know that summer produce has been delayed, that summer squash and early summer beans are still a few weeks out. I know that during spring and early summer I will be receiving a slightly smaller box each week that will be offset by the full bounty of produce that will come later in the summer.

Given my eager countdown of the days until this summer's CSA start date (beginning from the last date of last year's share) and the excited conversations that P and I have, almost weekly, about our CSA, you may wonder why we've never written about this before. I wonder that myself quite a bit. Maybe it's because we were too busy writing about our wedding and by the time that whole (epic, beautiful) mess was over, so was our CSA. Or, because it became so much a part of our lives, that it seemed like our version of the grocery store (and who wants to hear about a trip to the grocery store?). Maybe we have come to love our CSA and our farmers so much, that we are a little afraid to write about it. We're too close to the subject.

Whatever the reason, here we are entering into another summer and our CSA is back, this time for 20 glorious weeks. Already, we have discovered new favorites like peach leaf ice cream (with an amazing, subtle almond flavor), rose petal and black pepper shortbread, and Puntarelle alla Romana (see cicoria catalogna puntarella a foglia stretta), and have relished in standard comforts like sage grilled cheese and fried egg sandwiches.

Have I convinced you yet? Perhaps you might like to share in the bounty? Visit the Local Harvest website and find CSAs in your region. Peruse their offerings and try one out for a season. If you're worried about the amount of produce you might be given (sizes can vary and many are more suitable for families of four or more), find a friend to share the harvest. In the meantime, scope out your local farmers markets for tasty, seasonal produce from small family farmers. Then, throw yourself into cooking, because what else is so essential, so human, and yet so exciting? And finally, please, feel free to invite me over for dinner.

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Fried egg and sage grilled cheese sandwiches (serves 2)
(We made these sandwiches the night of our first box of the year. We were too tired to cook an elaborate meal and had received a huge container of sage, so this twist on the classic grilled cheese sandwich fit the bill)

2 eggs (preferably farm fresh - during this time of year, there are usually plenty of vendors selling eggs at your local farmers market)

Handful of fresh sage

Small block of cheddar (we used Beecher's Flagship, but any will do)

4 slices of bread

Butter

Fry the sage leaves in a nob of butter until they start to turn brown and crispy and give off a pleasant, nutty aroma. Remove from heat and reserve. Butter the undersides of the bread, then place a layer of cheese on the unbuttered side, make a sandwich and put this into a pan to cook over medium heat. Fry on one side until the bread is golden brown and the cheese has begun to melt, then flip and repeat. While the sandwich is grilling, fry one egg (you can keep the yolk, but it might get extra messy - we like to smash ours). When both sides are browned and the cheese is nice and melty, remove from the pan, open the sandwich and place the egg on top of the cheese. Then place a layer of the crispy sage, top off the sandwich and enjoy!