Foodshed Farms CSA: Week 1

I'm not the best gardener, and for the past few summers I have given up all hope of growing food in the backyard.  I have grand dreams, but we have some major demo/remodel to do this year before I can get my garden up and going.  So, instead, I venture out to our local farmers' markets and pick up local produce through the warm months.  Sometimes, though, I come home with a bunch of Geek Eats hummus and no actual veggies.  Now, that's not a terrible thing, but I'm looking to add more local produce into our diet.  So, Josh and I bought a summer share in the Foodshed Farms CSA!  The pickup is right by our house, and on Friday I went and got our first box!

I would like to share with you what we got each week, so you can see what a CSA usually contains.  If you live in Central Arkansas, there are still about 20 spots available in this summer's program.  They hope to produce 6-10 pounds of veggies a week for their patrons, which is incredibly exciting!

They provided us with a seasonal schedule of what we might expect from week to week.  I know that for the first several weeks, we're going to see tons of greens.  I'm okay with that!

First up in the box is this huge bag of spinach!  The leaves are healthy and hearty, and I can't wait to throw these in my smoothies all week.

I was delighted to see this giant head of butter lettuce in the mix!  I've already been throwing this on taco leftovers and sandwiches all weekend.  So tasty!

These salad turnips look really tasty.  I'm not familiar with them, but I'll be experimenting this week.  Maybe some combination with the above spinach?

This giant head of romaine was another delight in the box.  The leaves are really sturdy and crisp.  I wish we had a working grill, because I'd be throwing these on it.

This is green garlic, which I had never seen before.  They assured me we can cook with the entire stalk, and they said we might want to freeze some.  It smells absolutely amazing, and I can't wait to throw it in a dish.

Oh hell yeah, people, it's strawberry season.  These didn't last more than a day.

We also got this HUGE bag of pecans, which really is worth the money just right there.  These will be great on salads.

Lastly, we got a giant bag of arugula.  Which made me do this..

I hate arugula and will be finding a home for this bag immediately.

All in all, the box was full of great stuff.  I hope to bring you pictures and recipes from our local, Arkansas veggies all summer.  All the stuff comes from within 3 1/2 hours from Little Rock, and the whole project is organized by Heifer International.  If you're local and want to sign up, click here.  They have multiple pickup areas and times to choose from, making this a great flexible way to get veggies all summer.

Do you have community supported agriculture in your area?  Have you ever signed up for a share?  Leave me a comment!

P.S. If you've been eyeing my bracelet while reading this article, I bought it from Clifton's Wellness here in Little Rock.  I got a great  pre-wedding massage from Ashley, the owner, who I have been internet friends with for about a year.  I finally got to meet her on Friday, and I snagged this beautiful bracelet to wear on my wedding day.  Cute, right?