Worth the risk

Last year, after watching Food, Inc.  I had blogged about purchasing a CSA from a local farm.  Well that didn't really pan out like I had anticipated.  It was a new farm, they had just opened up their shares to the public and I was not that impressed.  At the time it was hectic, we were moving and the drive to Boise was a little too long and we eventually stopped picking up our share.  Unfortunately we had already invested too much money into it, so we suffered a monetary loss.

This spring I approached Brent about buying another CSA share.  He was very hesitant and even said it was a bad idea based on the previous years experience.  We are approximately 6 weeks into the "season" and I am not regretting the risk we took.  I did my research and after reading testimonials and corresponding to some local farmers, I picked Spyglass Gardens as the farm we wanted to purchase from. 

In May, they had an open house so the members could go check out exactly where their produce was going to come from.  It was a lovely farm and Steve and Wendy were so friendly and inviting as we visited their property.  The diversity of produce they were growing and the practices they withheld were impressive and I was convinced we had made the right decision.  Since we didn't want to risk too much, we decided to only purchase a half share this time.  It was a trial run.  Still a sizeable upfront expense, it has proven to be a wise one.

So far we have recieved more than enough produce to feed our family, even at half a share.  Among the things we have recieved are: scallions, lettuce, spinach, beets, radishes, carrots, basil, cherries (every week), bok choy, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, apricots, and cabbage.  Also we have recieved a basil plant, chive plant, and cilantro plant.  And to think, we aren't even a thrid of the way into the season!

When we visited the farm in May, we also bought a rhubarb plant.  This has quadrupled in size already and Brent decided he wanted another one.  I simply emailed Wendy and asked her to bring us another and sure enough with our delivery she brought us another plant.  They also have given us notifications that they work with other farmers that grow spray-free and organic produce so they can provide a more diverse variety of items to their customers.  So last week it was announced that raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries would be available by the flat, so I also ordered a flat of Raspberries.

When Wendy brought us our delivery, she informed that our berries were picked that morning so they couldn't be any more fresh.  I just don't think you can beat that for service or quality.  I now have 2 fully packed gallon bags of frozen raspberries in the freezer to last all year. 

I am so happy that we took the risk after a bad experience and purchased a share at Spyglass.  I look forward to every Wednesday and the surprises that each bag holds.   I never knew my kids love radishes, they ask for salad, and enjoy the fruit we recieve each week.  I can forsee this becoming something I will continue to do each and every year and who knows, maybe one day we will splurge on a whole share.