Ugly Vegetables and Food Waste

Every so often, you may stumble across a few misshapen vegetables in your CSA box. Upon slicing them open or cooking them up, you will realize that these ‘mutant veggies’ contain the same great flavor and nutritive benefits as the ‘standard’ looking varieties. In the field, it is very common for fruits and vegetables to have discrepancies because Mother Nature loves to change things up all the time.

Each year, millions of pounds of produce are discarded because they lack uniformity. 

In the grocery world, ugly vegetables are deemed unmarketable. In 2010, the USDA estimated that 31 percent (1.33 Billion pounds) of harvested produce went uneaten, while 48 million Americans lacked access to affordable, nutritious food.  These statistics are due in part to cooking waste and produce rot, but they are also due to processing plants and grocery stores throwing away perfectly edible, but not particularly beautiful produce.

Are you happy to contribute to food waste reduction? We certainly are! Send us pictures of your ugliest fruits and vegetables to be featured on our facebook page. We look forward to showing off a superstar that’s bursting with inner beauty!

6 Tips for Preparing Your CSA Produce

The shift towards seasonal eating can be difficult, but having the joy of farm fresh vegetables is well worth it. With CSA registration, you are about to take off on a culinary adventure, so we’ve put together a few tips to help you out along the way.

1. Roast. Nearly everything that you receive in your CSA box can be roasted, including the greens! Quickly broil them in the oven, toss them into a sandwich or lettuce wrap, add them to eggs or eat them as a side dish!
2. Risotto. Risotto is a rice and chicken broth based dish that veggies can be added to. Try inventing a new risotto recipe with unique finds from your CSA box!
3. Salsa. When tomatoes ripen in late summer, you should have everything you need to make an extremely fresh homemade salsa straight from your CSA box. You are the master of your own spice level, seasonings and consistency!
4. Sauté. You can put any vegetable from your CSA box into a sauté. Simply, chop up a veggie combination that fits your mood, then add them to a sauté pan with olive or coconut oil. Toss in garlic and onion first for a big flavor boost before adding your veggies one by one. Serve over rice, quinoa or on its own.
5. Soup. Make a garden-fresh soup any day with the produce from your CSA box. From gazpacho to a hearty minestrone, soup is always in season! Freeze any extras for a warm taste of summer when winter is in full blast. You can even save discarded ends of onions, carrots and celery in the freezer to make your own vegetable stock. 
6. Salads. Kale salad, cucumber salad, pasta or potato salad… your can make it all with your CSA produce box. Try adding roasted vegetables and local meats, make a salad without lettuce, or infuse white vinegar with fresh herbs for a flavorful salad topping twist!

The trick to eating seasonal is basing your meals around your produce rather than your produce around your meals. Use a variety of veggies in each meal to avoid spoilage. Only have a small amount of something? Use your produce as a pizza topping, mix it in with macaroni, add to an omelet, or spruce up your dish with a garnish. Be creative with your food and stay connected for more meal inspiration!