Almost a month ago I received my first ever order of a CSA, Community Supported Agriculture, from Full Circle. I have been very curious about CSAs for some time and I’ve heard the most about Full Circle because it was started on one farm in Washington state and has spread in popularity here in the Northwest. Livingsocial was offering a deal to try Full Circle for a one time delivery. I decided to give it a try and purchased the largest box, the Harvest Box.
I really like how Full Circle is set up. They let you select either house delivery (in certain areas) or pickup at specific locations. For ease and because there is no extra charge I opted for the house delivery and they delivered our package in the wee hours of the night on Tuesday night or really Wednesday morning. When we were up on Wednesday we had a FULL reusable insulated grocery bag of goodies on our front porch. I also like that Full Circle lets you customize your deliveries. They have a standard selection based on what is in season and they show you on their website which farm each item comes from but they also have a few alternative items that you can swap with or increase or decrease proportions. I made just a few minor changes as I’ve recently had a bunch of corn and have tomatoes from my own tomato plants.
So what came in our box/bag?
- Bunch of kale
- Bunch of boston bibb lettuce
- Bunch of beets
- 3 good size yukon gold potatoes
- Bunch of carrots with tops
- Large fennel bulb and fronds
- Bag of long green beans
- Several peaches
- Several pluots
- Several nectarines
- 2 medium avocados
- Four pears
- Large cucumber
And what have I done with this bag?
- Made a large salad of bibb lettuce topped with cucumber
- Topped that salad with a homemade green goddess dressing using the avocados
- Roasted the fennel and carrots together
- Ate the pluots, nectarines, pears and peaches mostly as is
- I made a peach salsa with red onion and cilantro to top some grilled chicken breast
- Sauteed the kale in shallots, garlic, and capers after blanching to remove the bitterness
- Made Thai basil beef with the green beans and basil from my garden
- Roasted the beets in the oven for a long time until soft and sweet and added to a salad with goat cheese and raspberries
- Made some southwestern hashes out of those yukon golds for breakfast and topped with a fried egg.
Box of fresh veggies and fruits.
And I was really happy with all of the produce. Everything looked beautiful and everything was extremely fresh and flavorful. I felt like I was doing a good deed. I felt like I needed to eat more fruits and vegetables. And I like being creative and having to work with what I have, that is fun for me. Would I keep subscribing to Full Circle or another CSA? Hmm. I would, I would probably opt for the smallest option or get the large option and share with a friend, or get the large option every other week and never buy produce at the store. But I do also like the art/activity of shopping for what I want to eat. And I am also highly influenced by cravings and wants. I’m going to wait a few weeks and then see if I want to order another box again. I do really like that they don’t require a subscription with Full Circle!
Chelsea
Evolving in the Emerald City 