Scoring fresh produce when your trip to the grocery doesn’t prove fruitful.

Meal prepping more meals at home raises several issues in the time of COVID:

• Where do you score fresh veggies on the regular?
• What if the grocery is out of everything you need?
• What if you just don’t feel like going to the grocery?
• And what if you don’t have a place to grow a few things yourself?

Buying a membership in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is a great solution to consider. In a nutshell, you pay in advance for a seasonal share with a local farmer and you receive a weekly or bi-weekly box of whatever is in-season and ready that week. Because you’re agreeing to support a local farmer or farm, you do take some risk due to weather or pests. Boxes can be delivered to you by some CSAs while others have drop-off points throughout your city.

Below are 3 CSAs in the Chicagoland area. Memberships go quickly because CSAs are usually small local farmers with a limited amount of land. At the time of this email, memberships were still available at the following. Read their contracts and crop information carefully so you understand what to expect. And check out Local Harvest for list of CSAs in your area.

Angelic Organics
Gray Farms
Tomato Mountain

Irv & Shelly’s Fresh Picks isn’t a traditional CSA but is another source of produce. They work with multiple farmers and also have some prepared foods.

And don't forget, you can get several of our own house-made deli items via the Catering section of our Caviar Menu. We have quarts of Corned Beef-style Seitan, Gyro-style Seitan, Scrambled Tofu, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy. And we have pints of our favorite dressings including our house Ranch, Thousand Island, and Tzatziki. 

Soups are a great way to use veggies from your CSA.

Having supported CSAs in the past, we can confirm that there will be times when you get a LOT of one item in your weekly box. Remember, you’re supporting a local farmer so when a harvest comes due, there will be a plethora of veggies or fruit at that time. For instance, you might get a lot of squash one week. Or onions. Below is a favorite soup that requires 3 large onions.

French Onion Soup

1. Heat the oil in a large pot then add onions and herbs. Cook until the onions are caramelized, about 15 minutes.
2. Add a little flour while stirring to avoid lumps.
3. Add the hot broth or water and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Remove 2 cups of broth from the soup pot. Stir the miso into the broth until it dissolves then add it back to the soup.
5. Stir in tamari, salt, and pepper.

• Top with non-dairy cheese like Parmesan or mozzarella then melt with a torch or under the broiler.
• Serve with crusty bread.

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