Sometimes, even a weekly ordering process for a CSA can go awry…like when your husband thinks you ordered a box that you didn’t think you got real confirmation that people would eat it, so when you tell him that morning that you didn’t order a box for evening pick-up, you get a look as though you just shot Bambi’s mom. Oh great.

On the plus side, having the farmstand chock-full of things that are tasty to eat makes it somewhat easier, and the list for this week’s box at least inspired dh to pick up broccoli. The funny thing with broccoli is that I can’t stand it. I don’t care HOW you prepare it, I can’t deal with the stuff. Anything cruciferous just rubs me the wrong way, and broccoli is no exception to that rule. I can’t even stand the smell of it. Guess dh will make it with dinner on Monday night, while I’m out at a wake.

So, short story long, this is a MYO box week for us. It mostly stuck to our rules: it was all local and it was less than $22. However, it’s six items, and there’s nothing “new” to us. I’m okay with that, though; with the marathon walk less than 24 hours away, my focus is a little fuzzy right now.

Without further ado, this week’s tastiness:

Red + Green + Multicolored Cherry Toms = HAPPY ME

Sure, it’s not the most original box out there, and the items are ones that are fairly “safe” – we know we like them (well, all except me and that dang broccoli), and we know the kids will reliably eat everything. Still, it’s nice that we’re in the habit of doing this, since it means that we have locally produced fruit and veg in the house. While the local grocery stores have caught up in recent weeks and are now carrying more local items (radishes, peppers, cucumbers, etc.), it’s nice that we’ve been eating local all summer long. Better still, we’ve been contributing back to our own town.

Now, with all the fuss about organic vs conventional farming, I do have to say that our farm is not labeling their stuff as organic. I asked them about this a while back, when Local Kitchen was coming for a visit and needed to know if she could obtain some kind of food organically from a nearby farm. Turns out that they do use some measure of pesticides. HOWEVER, they assured me they use the minimum they can get away with. So, there’s that. Before picking organic vs conventional, I’d suggest trying to examine local vs non-local and start simply. And with that, I’ll climb off my soapbox and start gearing up for my walk.

If you’re available for a few minutes on Sunday, I’d love a few tweets of support to me and dh. Follow me at @CrunchyMetroMom on Twitter and shout out early and often! I’ll be tweeting as we walk. And walk. And walk. And since I raised enough money to make a new personal best, I’m itching to get out on the course and get another 26.2 under my belt!

This was probably the sweetest box we’ve had all season: peaches, cherry tomatoes, corn…all items loaded with natural sweetness that can be eaten with a minimum of preparation. It makes me really sad that the summer is coming to an end. We always get sad when the farm is down to the last corn of the season, and Labor Day means that point isn’t far away. On the other hand, that means we’re getting closer to apple-picking season, which means cider donuts, which means {drool}…

Here’s how this week’s box came out: (which, by the way, was BRILLIANTLY)

I was approached by one of my friends who reads this blog, commenting (jokingly) on how I’m encouraging her to bust her budget by buying local. Boxes like the one above certainly show that you can get your fruit/veg via a CSA and save some serious dough. In her case, her attempts to buy organic meat are probably what are causing her to hit her budget so hard. That said, there are meat CSAs (for those who don’t mind buying in quantity) and you can purchase some amounts of organic meat for lower cost through warehouse clubs. Even Whole Foods has sales on organic meats – so there are options. But eating meat will definitely beat up on your budget, even if you’re not buying organic. Going organic will only add to that. As an omnivore, I certainly support the idea of trying to find ways to make buying local and organic work for you, no matter whether you’re buying fruit, veg, meat or any combination thereof.

Definitely explore the options. If nothing else, this whole exercise (year 1 through today in year 2) shows that it isn’t all about spending more to get locally grown produce. If anyone has any meat CSA experience they want to chime in on, please do share!