I’ve been struggling with how to start this blog, my -nth attempt at returning to online journaling. There’s a lot that I want to say: about why I’m writing a blog when most people consider the form dead, about the corporatization of the Internet, and about community and the importance of sharing our stories and skills. But I keep getting hung up in trying to condense all these thoughts and feelings into something short and introductory. Those thoughts really, really deserve their own post (or two) and I’ll write them out in time. All that really needs to be said right now is that I miss the “old” internet ecosystem of blogs and it seems like a lot of other people do too. And that I feel that the only way to get that Internet back is by making the content that I want to see, even if it feels like I’m screaming into a vacuum or shouting into the void.

So here I am: jumping headlong into the deep-end.

The true star of this post is a big bowl of beautiful veggies! This year, I’ve signed up for a CSA — Community Supported Agriculture — share through New Roots for Refugees, a non-profit that helps support refugee communities in the Kansas City area in creating their own farming businesses.

New Roots says:

 

…our new “Farm Share” program allows customers to invest in our farm and farmers by paying upfront or in monthly installments for several weeks of vegetables throughout the season. This gives the customer a chance to deepen their engagement with our program and learn about the seasonality of farming in Kansas City, while giving the farmers an expanded and reliable market for their produce.

 

In CSA programs, participants pay up-front for many weeks worth of organic produce, which they can then gather once-a-week at a central pick-up location. New Roots separates their shares into three seasons: a 6-week-long spring share, and two 11-week-long summer shares. I opted for both summer shares, which means I’ll get a big bag of organic produce weekly from May all the way until October!

I thought it would be interesting to keep a record of each week’s share: an inspiring feast of imagery for me, and a (hopefully) helpful resource to any Kansas Citians looking to participate in the program next season. I might even post recipes, if a vegetable has left me especially inspired (and if I happen to have my phone on hand for pictures while I’m cookin’!)

For the first week of my early summer share, I received a bundle of bright, crisp, fluorescent-pink radishes. I pan-fried these tasty jewels in butter and Montreal seasoning (a blend of salts, pepper, and spices that makes vegetables sing!) The feathery bundle of dill and some lovely green onions found their way into tuna salads.

Not one, but two, hefty bok choy heads inspired us to make ramen with pork dumplings, as well as a soy-sauce-heavy tofu fried rice. And a bag of spring greens meant salads for lunch all week!

Finally, this bouquet of mint brightened up our kitchen counter. I’ve been adding leaves to my water kefir ferment — it pairs especially well with peaches for a perfectly probiotic brew — and Tom has been mixing up Mint Juleps.

Week 1 down, 10 more to go! Not only has this CSA been a great way to get locally-grown, organic produce into my kitchen (and my belly), but I like knowing that my dollar is supporting my neighbors, rather than mega corporations. And the whole thing has gotten me back into blogging, to boot. A true win-win-win situation!

I’ve left the comments open for this post, so you can ask any questions you might have about farm share programs or CSAs.