First Farm Share of the Season

CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is a partnership between farmers and their neighboring communities. Members of the Cobble Hill CSA cough up $378 each May in return for 23 weeks of fresh produce from the Green Thumb Farm in Water Mill, Long Island. By paying up front, this Brooklyn group gives a family farm a financial boost to make it through the season.

Those interested in joining the CSA often ask how much food you get for $14/week. Due to the time of year and weather conditions, the amount varies. This week’s haul included a few stalks of rhubarb, one giant leek, a large and loose head of lettuce, a fragrant bouquet of peonies (I pay an extra $66 to receive 11 fresh-picked bouquets throughout the season), a bundle of chives topped with round purple flowers, a mini-bale of dill, and best of all, a pint of impossibly sweet strawberries.

The challenge of the CSA is to figure out inventive ways to use the fruits and vegetables that you wouldn’t normally buy, and in the past couple of seasons, my roommates and I have stumbled upon some great recipes. Our rhubarb will go straight into a tried-and-true Blueberry-Rhubarb Crisp with Pistachio Crust, and I’ll use a recipe for braised leeks from Mark Bitman’s How to Cook Everything (which I consider an essential text for all CSA members), but we’re not sure what to do with an overflowing cup of fresh dill. We may need to break out the pickle jars to use it all up.