Finally Joined the Co-op!

On January 1, we finally bit the bullet and joined our local organic "Farmstore in the City" Urban Acres. We signed up for a full share (= 35 pounds) of organic produce and veggies for pick up once every two weeks. The cost is $50 per pickup, which means each pound of food is about $1.43. I'm not used to paying that much for most fruits or vegetables, but everything is organic, and we're trying to head in that direction. Another big plus for us is that, especially during warmer months, they try to have 75-90% of the produce come from Texas.

We picked up our first share on Saturday (below), and needless to say I was pretty excited. I have been given some of their produce by a friend over the past few months and I've been very impressed by the shelf life of everything. The thing that sticks out in my mind the most is that we got a bunch of cilantro that ended up lasting just over 2 weeks, whereas it usually only lasts two days when purchased from the regular grocery store. And by lasting I don't mean barely hanging on, I mean still fresh & beautiful after two weeks. Amazing! That alone made me a convert. We just weren't able financially to sign up until now. However, we've committed to giving this a go and I don't think I'm going to be disappointed.

Our share this week includes (in a pseudo-clockwise fashion starting from the top left):

• red leaf lettuce
• kale
• arugula
• bananas
• turnips
• red beets & greens
• oranges
• Pink Lady & Gala apples
• onions
• carrots
• broccoli (Tons of it! That pile is almost 1 foot tall!)
  
• sweet potatoes
• red new potatoes
• grapefruit
• slicing tomatoes
• grape tomatoes

We've already eaten some of the fruit and I made large salads for Jason & me on Saturday. Sunday was an awesome potato/broccoli/onion/cheddar soup. Will post that recipe soon. Have any of you ever joined a co-op/CSA? Any pros &/or cons we should be aware of? Thanks! -Carrie