Happy Thursday! It’s your favorite plant-based advocate LA from Black Girls Eat! Just sending some plant-based love your way and hoping that you are feeling plant-tastic! Here’s a quick joke for you. Why do potatoes make good detectives? ….Because they always keep their eyes peeled! Ha! I do crack myself up!
So What’s the Big Deal About CSAs?
As we are all out here trying to navigate these grocery store prices, I feel like I owe it to the tribe to raise up the concept of CSAs. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Here’s how it works. You pay a fee either weekly or monthly to a farm or group of farmers for a share. In return, you receive fresh food. Of course I’m a big fan of the CSAs that deliver fresh produce. But there are others that deliver dairy and even seafood products.
But Why Would I Wanna Do That?
I hear you giving me the virtual side-eye. You might be feeling like you don’t need another thing to sign up for. I hear you but this could be a good thing! I think you should give CSAs a try for a few reasons. Check my reasons below in no particular order:
The cost of a CSA share could save you money from week to week!
The CSA basket comes from local farmers so why not support the home team?
Some of the produce may be completely new to you so why not try a new fruit or veggie to expand your food vocabulary?
It’s a low risk way to get more plants on your plate. You can sign up for a season and skip it if you find that it’s not working for you.
Things to Consider Before Signing Up for a CSA
Location: Most CSAs require you to pick up your basket. Don’t choose one that’s too far for you to get to. That could become a real hardship if you have to travel weekly.
Frequency: I personally have had to sadly throw away produce that spoiled. That one week when I swore I was gonna eat a salad every day was one of those weeks. If you don’t think you will use all of the items in a week, consider splitting your share with someone. You can also try to freeze some of the items so that they aren’t wasted.
Conventional vs Organic: This may not have mattered to you a few years ago but if it does, be sure to check out the farm/farms and their practices. Still can’t tell the difference between organic and conventional? Sign up for my 5 Day Introduction to Plant Based Nutrition e-mail class and go from plant-curious to plant focused!
Ready to Get Started with a CSA? Check out the resources below:
Black Owned Farms: https://futureharvest.org/resources/resources-for-consumers/black-owned-and-operated-farms/
Harvest Club: https://harvestclub.localrootsnyc.com/
USDA Searchable CSA Database: https://www.ams.usda.gov/local-food-directories/csas
The Recipe: Southern Style Cabbage
The winter months are the perfect time to try this cabbage recipe. Go for the green or mix it up and add some purple. Cabbage is 92% water and offers vitamin C, K and calcium. This is a great opportunity to Eat Your Water!
The Random: Black History Moments Continue!
We can thank Mr. Booker T. Whatley, a horticulturist and agriculture professor at Tuskegee University in Alabama for the CSA concept. As the Black farming industry began to struggle in the 1960s, Whatley invented the CSA and it was officially called, “The Clientele Membership Club”. For $25 per year, families could shop directly at a farm of their choice. Members benefited from discounted prices and the farmers were able to count on extra income.
That’s it for me! Happy March! Springtime is coming! Find me being plant-based and joyful on Tik-Tok and follow me on IG @blackgirlseat