This year, Luis and I purchased a 20- week Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) vegetable box from a local farm that uses organic growing methods and proper crop rotation. Every Saturday we pick up the box of veggies from a local business downtown and split it with a friend.
We are 4 weeks into the season, and vegetables we’ve received so far include: radishes, kohlrabi, bok choy, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, chives, mint, parsnips, carrots, swiss chard, kale, beets, onions, Asian greens (komatsuna, Tokyo Bekana, hon tsai tai), summer squash, cucumbers, Napa cabbage, and escarole. Veggies galore!! I look up recipes on the internet for inspiration so that nothing goes to waste. This week I made a Thai curry with bok choy.
CSA falls in line with naturopathic medicine in several ways:
- The vegetables are harvested within 48 hours of me getting them, ensuring high nutrient content because they are picked ripe and cooked/consumed before the day-by-day nutrient loss becomes substantial.
- Eating local is better for the environment because the transport time on a vehicle which is emitting harmful substances into the atmosphere is minimal, and the environment is one aspect that contributes to health–known as a “determinant of health.”
- Seasonal eating, just like our ancestors did, makes us less likely to develop food sensitivities because the body has several weeks/months of rest from food items not in season, allowing it to repair.
- The variety of vegetables is outstanding, and it forces us to eat outside of our comfort zone and expand interest in and familiarity with new flavors. What the farmer picks– we get!
