Yes I am! I had a CSA living in NYC for three years and I absolutely loved it. I love to cook, and the surprise of unfamiliar ingredients popping up over the season was great for trying new things. You cannot beat the cost; you pay up front, but the average cost per week in every CSA I've checked out is around $20. $20 for so much fresh produce!
The cons are eating all of that produce (which leads one to learn to preserve whatever you can't eat), and the repetition of certain items. You can get sick of eating a pound of swiss chard every week, or figuring out another way to eat radishes.
I now live in Connecticut and am awaiting the start of a CSA this weekend. Invested in locally raised eggs and meat this year, too. Love supporting local producers!
Yes, I am a member of a CSA! We have been members of several different ones, as we have lived in MN, CA, and IL. Each CSA has its own flair and offerings, so I always recommend that folks talk to current members (and the farmers) before joining. This is our third season with our current CSA and we love it. Great way to eat lots of local, fresh veggies cost effectively. As it is just two of us, we split our share with another family, so we waste less and it costs less.
We do not belong to a CSA. I'm such a picky eater and we travel or have evening plans so often that food ended up going bad as often as it was eaten. We've found that it suits our budget much better to shop at the natural grocery store or farmer's market according to how often we'll be home to cook, rather than being at the mercy of a weekly delivery.
I thought these were for busy and lazy people. The two I clicked on both had extra steps outside the crock pot. For me the whole point of getting a crock pot is to throw everything in and its done 8 hours later. I don't want to juice an orange, lemon and lime and then have to use a blender too. Disappointed with some of these recipes.
Yep, my wife found a local CSA that has drop-off points just a couple blocks from our house. We pick up every Tuesday and love all the fresh veggies, including some we've never seen or tried before. New veggies that I learned I like (but would have thought was icky in the grocery store): zucchini, swiss chard, and kale. Can't wait to pick ours up tonight!
I am and I love it! The veggies are fresher and tastier than I can get at the supermarket while also being cheaper than the farmers' market. Plus it forces me to try more varieties than I would get on my own.
My most recent experiences have taught me to read labels, not just some of them but all of them. I focused on what I thought were some of the worst offenders, but sugar is hidden everywhere from small to whopping amounts in various foods (even minimally processed ones).
Glad you have been able to find foods and brands that help you eliminate or avoid sugar.
A friend of mine messaged me with this additional info after reading this article. I'm posting it here because everyone should know about this awesomeness.
"Regarding medications- target has a $4 list too. Shoprite offers many meds and antibiotics free, including prenatal vitamins. And goodrx.com lets you price shop for the cheapest med in your area."
How did you use the catnip? Just rub the leaves all over you? i've recently planted multiple "fragrant" herbs/grasses in several planters around the deck to see if that helps and catnip was one of the recommended fragrant plants.
If anyone in your group has bladder or bowel control issues, either inform the hosts so they can take steps to protect bedding or bring along your own mattress protection and discretely use it!
I had to give up sugar for health reasons and so I knew I would be giving up most processed foods. But I was very surprised by all the other places it was hiding. Like tortillas and canned beans (like garbanzos) and canned baby corns and non-dairy milks and almond butter. It is everywhere so I have to be careful and read a lot of labels. At least there are more and more alternatives lately. My nearest health food store is 30 minutes away so I go there every couple of weeks, but also Fred Meyer has a great health food selection. I like their new "simple truth" brand.
Your thoughts are similar to mine. Many of these high-sugar foods have health benefits or certain nutrients that are good for you (such as antioxidants or protein). But if you are simply trying to cut calories, you could occasionally eat the yummy stuff like candy bars or pastries instead of the food that sounds healthy but is loaded with sugar.
I recently realized that my go-to yogurt had the same amount of sugar as a Snickers bar. Yup. I suppose the yogurt at least has some protein, but I started thinking I'd rather just eat the candy bar!
Yes I am! I had a CSA living in NYC for three years and I absolutely loved it. I love to cook, and the surprise of unfamiliar ingredients popping up over the season was great for trying new things. You cannot beat the cost; you pay up front, but the average cost per week in every CSA I've checked out is around $20. $20 for so much fresh produce!
The cons are eating all of that produce (which leads one to learn to preserve whatever you can't eat), and the repetition of certain items. You can get sick of eating a pound of swiss chard every week, or figuring out another way to eat radishes.
I now live in Connecticut and am awaiting the start of a CSA this weekend. Invested in locally raised eggs and meat this year, too. Love supporting local producers!
Yes, I am a member of a CSA! We have been members of several different ones, as we have lived in MN, CA, and IL. Each CSA has its own flair and offerings, so I always recommend that folks talk to current members (and the farmers) before joining. This is our third season with our current CSA and we love it. Great way to eat lots of local, fresh veggies cost effectively. As it is just two of us, we split our share with another family, so we waste less and it costs less.
I've never heard of a CSA, but I will look into now!
We do not belong to a CSA. I'm such a picky eater and we travel or have evening plans so often that food ended up going bad as often as it was eaten. We've found that it suits our budget much better to shop at the natural grocery store or farmer's market according to how often we'll be home to cook, rather than being at the mercy of a weekly delivery.
I thought these were for busy and lazy people. The two I clicked on both had extra steps outside the crock pot. For me the whole point of getting a crock pot is to throw everything in and its done 8 hours later. I don't want to juice an orange, lemon and lime and then have to use a blender too. Disappointed with some of these recipes.
"In situations where there are only one or two friends dining out..."
I'm fairly certain that one person dining out doesn't need to worry about who picks up the check.
Yep, my wife found a local CSA that has drop-off points just a couple blocks from our house. We pick up every Tuesday and love all the fresh veggies, including some we've never seen or tried before. New veggies that I learned I like (but would have thought was icky in the grocery store): zucchini, swiss chard, and kale. Can't wait to pick ours up tonight!
I am and I love it! The veggies are fresher and tastier than I can get at the supermarket while also being cheaper than the farmers' market. Plus it forces me to try more varieties than I would get on my own.
I'm not part of a casa, but I do participate in an organic co-op.
No, I am not part of a CSA, but wish I was!
I am part of a local CSA, it's a great way to eat local organic farm fresh foods while supporting a local farm.
This is the first I've heard of a CSA. Don't think we have any in my area.
I am not part of a CSA. I wouldn't join them because my family only eats certain fruits and veggies
No. I live on an island 7 miles out to see. We don't have any farms. My goal is to start one and run my own CSA!
I'm not part of a CSA.
My most recent experiences have taught me to read labels, not just some of them but all of them. I focused on what I thought were some of the worst offenders, but sugar is hidden everywhere from small to whopping amounts in various foods (even minimally processed ones).
Glad you have been able to find foods and brands that help you eliminate or avoid sugar.
Thanks for the ideas. We use a Canadian website also and save $2000 a year on our premiums.
The older I get the more minimalist I feel. The only reason I'm saving some stuff is for when my kids move out and want something sentimental.
A friend of mine messaged me with this additional info after reading this article. I'm posting it here because everyone should know about this awesomeness.
"Regarding medications- target has a $4 list too. Shoprite offers many meds and antibiotics free, including prenatal vitamins. And goodrx.com lets you price shop for the cheapest med in your area."
How did you use the catnip? Just rub the leaves all over you? i've recently planted multiple "fragrant" herbs/grasses in several planters around the deck to see if that helps and catnip was one of the recommended fragrant plants.
If anyone in your group has bladder or bowel control issues, either inform the hosts so they can take steps to protect bedding or bring along your own mattress protection and discretely use it!
I had to give up sugar for health reasons and so I knew I would be giving up most processed foods. But I was very surprised by all the other places it was hiding. Like tortillas and canned beans (like garbanzos) and canned baby corns and non-dairy milks and almond butter. It is everywhere so I have to be careful and read a lot of labels. At least there are more and more alternatives lately. My nearest health food store is 30 minutes away so I go there every couple of weeks, but also Fred Meyer has a great health food selection. I like their new "simple truth" brand.
Your thoughts are similar to mine. Many of these high-sugar foods have health benefits or certain nutrients that are good for you (such as antioxidants or protein). But if you are simply trying to cut calories, you could occasionally eat the yummy stuff like candy bars or pastries instead of the food that sounds healthy but is loaded with sugar.
I recently realized that my go-to yogurt had the same amount of sugar as a Snickers bar. Yup. I suppose the yogurt at least has some protein, but I started thinking I'd rather just eat the candy bar!
I baked my dad a cake and got him a card. I didn't have a lot of money to spend this year.