Unlock a Winter of Fresh, Local Flavor
A dear friend talked me into splitting a share with her.
I had just moved to Minnesota and had a new baby. I thought this was a terrible idea. I liked vegetables, had long gone to farmers markets, but what would I do with all the fresh produce coming in at once in the box?
That was 12 years ago. We’ve subscribed to Featherstone Farm winter CSA every winter since. After a few years of sharing a box, we now enjoy one for our family of four. Towards the end of the season we stock up on extra carrots to hold us over until the spring and summer produce returns.
Unique things that I love about the winter CSA subscription:
The pick up is every other week. It feels slower paced than the weekly summer boxes.
Being able to customize the box. We’ll always take extra golden beets when they’re available. I steer clear of mustard and collard greens (I’ve tried them—just haven’t figured out a recipe that makes me love them–yet).
Winter CSA items last. The shelf life of the food is longer, even with the winter CSA storage crops, because of the care with which it is harvested, stored, and packed. We’ve had beets that were harvested in October get buried in the back of the produce drawer. We found them in May. I felt bad about it at first and then I was impressed with how good they still were!
We eat better because of having their fresh veggies on hand. It makes menu planning easier too. The box is the base that I work around. We eat in sync with the seasons without having to think about it.
Delicious add ons–just when winter feels like it will never end–frozen watermelon juice shows up as an option! Processed at the peak of summer goodness, those little bottles taste like pure summer. High tunnel greens are a treat as well. This is also the season when Featherstone shares their cover crop wheat flour.
Everything in the box is organic and grown with care. I keep the peelings and scraps to make vegetable stock because I trust that it’s safe to use every last bit of anything in the box.
The more I learn about how our food is grown and how far it travels to our grocery stores, the more I believe that subscribing to a CSA is part of the long-term solution of a more sustainable food system.
I shared my love of our Featherstone box with friends and family long before I started sharing stories and recipes through Meet the Minnesota Makers.
If you enjoy being a part of the summer community, I know that you’ll be impressed with the variety of the winter boxes.
What questions do you have about being part of a CSA? About Featherstone? Contact me at meettheminnesotamakers@gmail.com. You can also contact Featherstone at csa@featherstonefarm.com.
Thank you for choosing locally grown produce!
Michelle
Founder and Content Creator of Meet the Minnesota Makers
Featherstone Farm CSA Superfan