Summertime to CSA subscribers means incredible goodness and quantities of fresh, colorful produce. But it also means you have to be more on your game than ever.
You simply must open up your food, take it out of its bags, and look it over as soon as you can. Dump it out and repackage it. Don’t think of yourself as the end-recipient of the CSA packing process. Instead, you are its last stage, the linchpin, the make-or-break player.
For instance, I got some beautiful baby zucchini today.
They were a little wet and so was the inside of the bag. No problem – I dried them off and turned the bag inside out before putting the zucchini into the crisper. It took thirty seconds and will make a big difference over the next week.
I also got a bunch of gorgeous fruit.
When I spread out the blackberries, there was one extremely moldy berry. I tossed it in the scraps bin and put the rest away. Whew! If I hadn’t seen and extricated this berry, there would have been many more moldies before Monday.
If something arrives in poor shape, I’ll let Patricia know, and she’s always been willing to make it up. However, when I put something away just as it came and then pull it out for the first time Saturday in non-optimal condition, I figure that’s on me.
Especially in summer. The world is teeming with life, and that includes our microscopic nemeses with whom we compete for our luscious, non-preserved summertime bounty. Don’t make it easy for them, ‘kay?
thoughtful consumption 
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