In addition to having the coolest environmentalist handle going, Slate’s Green Lantern doesn’t duck the tough questions. Such as: ‘My CSA gives me more food than I can eat…is that bad?‘
In a thorough answer, The Lantern (a.k.a. Jacob Leibenluft) weighs the pros and cons of food waste stemming 
from bountiful community-supported agriculture (CSA) boxes.
I appreciated The Lantern’s suggestion of sharing excess produce with a food bank or friends. The hard part here might doing so early on, before the produce ages into a less generous gift. Even if it’s fresh, some food banks may balk at taking these kinds of unwrapped, perishable donations. Still, it’s worth asking.
My main experience with CSAs came when vacationing friends let us collect their week’s bounty. As the beneficiary of this sharing, I encourage these friends to vacation early and often wholeheartedly recommend it.
It’s probably worth considering splitting a subscription with friends or asking if your farm sells half shares. Those two compromises enable you to support local farms, enjoy fresh produce and not waste as much food. Where do I sign up?
9 Comments
After looking into the CSA’s available in my area, I opted to not go that route and visit my local farmer’s market weekly instead.
I think if my family had a very diversified palate, I’d be willing to take what was offered in a CSA box. But since I can’t pick and choose what is in the box, I was afraid much of it would go uneaten.
I’m not knocking CSA’s – I think they are fantastic. I just don’t think they are for everyone.
Good point, Robin. I agree that CSAs aren’t for everyone. For instance, some people like picking and choosing their farm-fresh goodies. And while some enjoy learning to cook new foods, others have neither the time nor inclination to do so.
For most vegetables there’s usually the option of freezing, or if the haul is large enough, canning the extra.
CSA’s are certainly not for everyone. I am a Farmer’s Market person myself…even better, what about growing our own food? This way, you save $, develop an understanding of what it takes to get food to your plate, and as a result of this understanding one might even develop a newfound appreciation for food. Appreciation of our food might mean we savor it more. Savoring our food might mean we waste less and aren’t inhaling as much which means there is more food to go around, the food gap narrows, and obesity tapers…
Food for thought (and savoring). : )
Andy
We do get a CSA box weekly and grow a small garden and buy milk, eggs and meat from the Farmers’ Market. Our CSA has a box where you can “share” the things you don’t like when you pick up your box.
We also have next door neighbors that are far more adventurous cooks than we are – we cleared it with them early on that on Thursday they might get some part of our box. It works out fine but next year we might just share a membership. We also freeze the things we can’t get to in time.
Every week, we write down what was in the box and what we did with it. It keeps things from lying unnoticed in the refrigerator. We don’t eat out often and we really like our fresh veggies. It does take more time to prep fresh produce and to plan and cook it. That said, the results are worth it.
Bernie
I think most CSAs produce the volume of food they do because they want to be ready to accommodate larger crowds when the time comes. I guess “waste” all comes down to how much the members of the CSA decide to eat. They could always give leftovers to their friends and neighbors..just a thought.
Last year we had a full csa share and being just two people it was a lot of pressure to cook all of that. This season we are splitting one share and it’s worked out much better.
Our CSA has a “Swap Box” where you can put in what you don’t like and take what you like better instead. That box saw a lot of eggplant this year! It helps our members waste less.
The produce that is not picked up (including the remnants in the Swap Box) go directly to the kitchen at our local seniors center where they love getting it.
Also a bunch of our csa-members including me have started a composting project in our neighborhood.
CSA can be win-win for everyone who is willing to put in a little extra work and creativity to their food-buying and eating habits.
– Diane, Queens, NYC
I’ve already our mandatory salad rule at the start of every CSA season. The swap box idea is really great, though – I have a kind friend who takes radishes and kolrabi off my hands.
Some CSAs give small amounts of a very wide variety of things – actually, it seems like most of them are going this way, it must be popular. I like to get a large amount of a few things, so I have enough to put some up.
Last year we didnt’ have a CSA because nobody could commit to spending CSA pickup day picking up, washing, and cutting up vegetables. We’ve learned that if we don’t do the prep right away, we waste a lot. This year, no CSA because they were all full by the time I remembered this spring!
Making time every week to hit the farmer’s market is a lot harder for me than making time to pick up our CSA share, though. I’ve been spending my lunch break every Thursday at the market, and sometimes I really resent it.
I have another side to the situation to offer. While I do not do a CSA because I prefer to pick my produce from week to week and I could not eat everything provided, my friend had the opposite problem most are having: she does not get enough food each week for the price she pays. She is a vegan. Unlike many vegans/vegetarians I have met, she ensures that she consumes a wide variety and a lot of produce along with grain and bean staples instead of eating mostly pre-prepared bean and grain products.
I have also learned that if I do not prepare my produce (from the farmer’s market and grocery store) upon getting home that much of it goes to waste.