Everything that we have been working toward over the last few months came to fruition on Wednesday. I’m pleased to say that our first CSA delivery day came off without a hitch. Okay, without any major hitches. There a was a miscount on the boxes (my error) so one person received a large box instead of a small one, and we got a little lost on our way to return the rental van at the end of the day. But overall, I’d say that we’re quite pleased with how everything turned out.
The day started at 5am with our fantastic team (Vince, Michaela, and Austin) working alongside Jonathan to harvest and clean the vegetables. Some had been harvested the previous day but the lion’s share was picked that morning. From field to box to table in less than 24 hours. How cool is that?
It was kind of funny to see how excited Jonathan was to open our box when we finally got home that afternoon. After all, he packed the darn thing. I couldn’t wait to dig in, and neither could Griffin. Our boy got to eat sugar snap peas for the very first time and now I don’t think he’ll ever want to eat a store-bought one. Having never eaten a perfectly ripe snap pea myself, I was shocked at how sweet and succulent they are. Wow.
I’d like to think that our CSA members were having similar experiences that evening. They were, hopefully, looking at some of the less familiar items inquisitively and eager to try them. A few people have already commented to me on the speckled Flashy Trout back lettuce that we included in the box. Something along the lines of “I assumed that it was supposed to look that way,” referencing the flecks of purplish/red coloring on the green leaves. I have already forgotten that most people only see lettuces that are uniformly green in color. Oops. Now I’ll remember to explain that next time.
The perfectionist in me has been waiting all day for the complaints to start rolling in. Thankfully all has been quiet on that front. My biggest fear is disappointing the people who are supporting our endeavor; that our vegetables somehow fell short of their expectations. I’d like to think that the silence is due to the resulting food coma from eating a boxful of vegetables.
It feels really good to have gotten through the day. Jonathan and I were even able to have a moment to ourselves after all the deliveries – a rare treat when you have two small children. As we were basking in the glow of our accomplishment I chimed in with “What’s going to be in next week’s box? I need to know so I can start writing the next newsletter.” Man, I’m such a killjoy sometimes.
