We've been collecting secrets.... from our CSA Members. And not just any members - those men and women who are true JBG Community Supported Agriculture veterans: folks who have been members of our CSA program for 10+ years. Families who have been opening up, washing, and prepping pounds and pounds of our vegetables for over a decade.  In fact, most of these folks have likely cooked and consumed, sliced and sauted, anywhere from 5,000-10,000 pounds of vegetables. Pretty wild, no?

We know that incorporating seasonal vegetables into your weekly menus isn't always the most intuitive process, but as some of these secrets reveal, it can be done. In fact, as these veterans demonstrate, it's quite possible to seamlessly involve local, organic, and seasonal vegetables into your everyday life in a long-term and meaningful way. If you're new to the CSA, we hope these veterans inspire you. With practice, unpacking, storing, and using up each and every vegetable we send you can be as easy as ordering takeout.

Whether you're new to the CSA, have been around for over a year, or are one of our members who have been around since the Holly Street days, we thank you for your support. We hope that by sharing some of these secrets, you'll feel inspired to think of JBG as your eternal grocery store, there to plant, grow, and care for the food that will fuel you into the future.

Give yourself a pat on the back if you've been a member for some time now. Cooking hundreds of pounds of local vegetables is a commendable feat! Photo by Scott.

Risa G. 

My word of wisdom is utilizing the customization JBG offers. You  just need to set a reminder before the window closes :). Also, don't be afraid of trying new veggies, it's always great to try new recipes. One thing I started doing with herbs is to dry them and store them in a glass jar! They still smell really fresh even after being dried! Also the grapefruits.  Enjoy the sweetest juiciest grapefruits during the season!

Risa is right. Give our customization feature a try. We did this just for you! When you customize, you have the ability to swap out two items from your box with two items from our swap list - which is made up of the crops that are most bountiful in any given week.  If you're unsure of when your customization window is, just shoot Faith an email (farm@jbgorganic.com) and she'll let you know! And yep, grapefruits will be gone before you know it. You can learn more about customization here, or order grapefruit by the 10 lb. bag here. 

Risa's dried herbs. Drying your JBG herbs is a homemade way of season extension. Bravo, Risa! Thank you for the photo!!

 

Marcus and Tracie G. 

I love the weekly emails from the farm and recipes. We have a few pieces of advice:

• Use a recipe app (we use cheftap) to hold on to great recipes to use when you find yourself with an abundance of something
• Have a default easy way to clear out a lot of veggies if needed. Our favorites are roasted root veggies and kale chips.
• Try out the recipes from JBG. We've really liked that those coordinate with the veggies. 

Well geez! Thanks for reading Marcus and Tracie! And yes: look no further the the JBG Recipe Archive. Also, we're pretty intrigued about Cheftap.... or the idea of any recipe app. Great suggestion, y'all!

 

Erin O.

As far as advice goes, I try to prep the veggies in advance to ensure I'll use them all before the next week's box. The ability to customize the contents is key for getting veggies the whole family will enjoy.

What she said. Prep those boxes. Here is a post where we cover some of that, plus tried and true storage tips. 

Jess and Jon K.

One thing I would say is take a look at what's in your box before you pick it up. Customize it! If you have lots of something left from last week and more is coming this week--swap it for something. Do a little planning to fit your veggies into your week. Know what your family likes but don't be scared to try one new thing a week! Roasted turnips have become a favorite around my house! 

Did someone say turnips? 

Turnip gratin. Recipe and photo by Nadia Tamby.

Marian S.

One piece of advice I can give for people trying to figure out how to use their whole box--is to think outside the box.  Use the abundance that you can't find a place for at dinner to replace your go-to dishes that you make as a matter of course. For instance, most of the year, I have to buy lettuce at the store for our evening salad, but many of the box items make excellent salads that are outside my usual playbook. Recently I made a warm cauliflower salad, adding some chopped parsley and a handful of black olives with the vinaigrette. Or in the summer, when we often get a lot of peppers, I'll gently saute them in olive oil with garlic, add about a quarter as many (even canned) tomatoes, and, at the end, parsley or basil. I keep that bowl of scrumptious peppers in the fridge to eat as an extra side dish with, say, broiled chicken, or with eggs, or with white beans, or on bruschetta. They're very versatile and quite addictive--even cold. This is especially good for the peppers we usually get in the box, which can be too delicate to broil or grill.

My only other thought is, if the box is particularly abundant, stay home and eat it!  Fewer restaurants and more home-cooked meals. The two of us get through a medium box nearly every week, with friends over for dinner usually one night a week, but we only eat out on special occasions.

Marian said it all. Here are some other hacks and ideas, like Marian's ingenious bowl of marinated peppers, that will help you use up your veggies throughout the week. And need some more inspiration to stay home and eat? Here are 10 reasons why home cooked meals (with our veggies) are better than a night out. 

Too many vegetables in the fridge? Stay home and eat 'em. Photo by Heydon Hatcher.

Alana M.

Over the years I’ve made lots of greens soup to empty my crisper drawer for a new share box

When in doubt, make a soup. 

This chicken soup recipe on our blog is so versatile. Want to make a winter version? Search the blog for "Isaac's Famous Soup". Recipe and photo by Heydon and Isaac Hatcher.

Mary Ellen B.

My only tip is that once I get the vegetables home they take on new life when I wash them, trim the roots and plop them in a medium mixing bowl-size bowl of fresh water. They become fresher day after day. Oh, and then we store bowls of vegetables in water in the refrigerator of course.

My sister remarked “these greens (kale, lettuce, collards, etc) look fresher than in the grocery store!!!!!” I was so proud.  We are eating at home more than ever, and feel we are really on the right track nutritionally. 

Yes! Mary Ellen has revealed the secret of "refreshing" your greens. More on that here. 

Abby E.

• Use the JBG website. It has tons of recipes and advice for storing and cooking vegetables. 
• Read the weekly blog.
• Only try one new to you vegetable at a time. Don’t give up if you don’t like it the first time. Try a different way to prepare it and give it 3 chances.
• Take advantage of the customization feature. I have a reminder set so I don’t forget.
• If there is a vegetable your family just doesn’t like, pass it on to a friend who does like it.
• Get some friend to join with you. Preparing and talking about food together is so much fun.

Great summary, Abby. We couldn't have said it better ourselves. 

Do you have any CSA secrets? We'd love to know. 

Is purple daikon a new vegetable to you? Follow Abby's advice and give it a try 3 times before hitting that swap button. It just might be your favorite new radish. Photo by Scott.