Careful! Our CSA Will Change You

Meet my brand new fridge.

My new Samsung refrigerator arrived today. It has French doors and a bottom freezer.

It’s so beautiful. I can’t stop touching it.

Do you know how long I’ve been waiting to justify this buying decision?

My former fridge was functional — a loaner from my Aunt Diane — but for my farmer’s wife purposes, it was far from user-friendly.

A few weeks ago, as I opened up my jam-packed cooling unit, a bottle of creamer feel on my foot, followed by a jar of salsa.

I’m pretty sure I cursed in front of my 6 year old.

Later that day, I found myself taking gallons of milk out to the walk-in cooler (again!) because there was no room.

I decided enough was enough. It was time to get a bigger fridge.

It’s funny because 5 years ago, I didn’t feel this need so acutely. My fridge was just a functional appliance.

But something has happened to me in the last few years.

My CSA has changed the way I eat.

Not only do I eat more vegetables, I THINK differently about food.

Thanks to all of my CSA members over the years, I am more mindful than ever about what and how I eat. For example:

• I have jars of fermented sauerkraut as a permanent fixture in my fridge.
• I have bags and bags of frozen blanched greens in my freezer.
• I know how to “whip things together” without being religiously tied to a recipe anymore.
• I haven’t bought chicken broth in 2 years. (I make it all myself now).
• I’m not afraid of the pressure canner anymore. And my pantry proves it.
• And we eat way more beans (thanks to Bob Seaney)

(And this is how I justify the purchase of a $1500 Samsung fridge).

So today I want to thank each of you in my CSA.

Not just for the fridge… but for making me the food-lover I am today.

If it hadn’t been for you, and my desire to help all of you learn the story of food, I’m not sure I would have pushed myself to keep learning how to eat the food we grow.

For example, last week, CSA member Tara Baranowski posted in the FB group that she makes fruit leather from strawberries and rhubarb.

Oooo…. I thought. DIY fruit roll ups? That sounds good.

Now… had I ever made fruit leather? No.

But Tara inspired me to learn how, so that I could encourage the rest of my CSA members to give it a go.

And so I did. I researched on Google. I bought some fruit leather trays on Amazon, made a few batches… And this week, I’ll turn on the video camera, and upload a new video on “How to Make Fruit Leather” into our Membership Academy.

Why am I telling you this?

Because if you let it, this CSA will change you.

Listen… ten years ago, I was so clueless when it came to eating veggies. Now, incredibly, I find myself positioned as a kind of “expert” in how to eat local food.

I often ask myself, “How did that happen?”

The truth is, I am like many of you. I am simply on a journey, committed to learning new ways to eat my husband’s veggies. And when I find something new and exciting, I share it with you in the hopes that you might find its discovery just as compelling as I do.

But this kind of transformation didn’t just randomly happen. It happened because I wanted it to. Because I was patient and persistent about trying new things.

But most importantly, it happened because I had a community like you to keep pushing me and holding me accountable.

I feel like I can now say I’m a card-carrying Foodie.

And that feels pretty awesome.

I admit that when we first began the CSA 10 years ago, I thought we were just growing a box of veggies for everyone.

Now I see that it’s so much more.

We’re changing the way people eat.

As we begin this season, I want to welcome you into this life-transforming community.

Soak it up, my friend. You’re about to turn into a hard-core food-lover.

But be careful… you may just end up buying a new appliance.