When I began eating most of my veggies raw instead of cooking the life out of them and dousing them in butter and salt, I found that it’s super important to select high-quality, fresh produce in order to get maximum flavor. For this reason (among others), I try to buy organic as much as possible, and yes, sometimes it can get expensive. I want to eat for energy, but how can I do that with spending half my paycheck on food?

Community Supported/Shared Agriculture

For the past two summers, I’ve  belonged to a CSA program. The details of each individual program vary, but the basic idea is that at the beginning of the summer you either pay a lump sum or commit to working a certain number of hours on a farm, and in exchange you receive a box of vegetables each week.

The program I belong to is an incredible deal. It works out to costing less than $20 (US) per week, and the amount of organic, locally grown food I get for that price is just astounding. Here’s the box I picked up this morning:

- 1 head red leaf lettuce
- 2 bunches kale
- bag of mixed baby lettuces
- heads baby bok choy
- 1 head napa cabbage
- 1 bunch beets with greens
- 1 bunch turnips
- 1 bunch parsley
- 1 bunch basil
- 1 bag snap peas
- garlic scapes

How do you eat all that food before it goes bad?

I’ll admit, that was one of my worries. I’m used to going to the grocery store or market every day or two to pick up what I need as I need it. I’m just one person, so this is quite a bit of produce to pick up in one go! If you’ve been Eating for Energy, though, you’ve probably noticed that you’re going through fresh fruits and veggies in pretty big quantities! I usually get through my veggie box within three to five days. I have a few ways to make sure I don’t let anything go bad:

1. Store: Put veggies in separate containers with paper towels to absorb moisture. I spend about 20 minutes putting everything away as soon as I get home.

2. Organize: As I’m putting the containers in the fridge, I put the veggies that’ll last longest in the back. This week, that was the beets & turnips, snap peas, napa cabbage, and kale. I’ll eat the more delicate greens first.

3. Plan: As I see what I’ve got, I figure out a meal plan for the week. It’s not set in stone, but I like to get a general idea. That helps me know what I need to buy at the grocery store to supplement the CSA.

4. Research: Sometimes I get a vegetable that’s new to me! I love when this happens. I get online or crack open a cookbook and find out what to do with that vegetable. Before I belonged to a CSA, I’d never used ingredients such as garlic scape or fennel, for example.

Learn more:

Most regions have information online. Do a google search and see what opportunities are available in your area, or check out a directory such as www.localharvest.org.

Or next time you’re at the farmers’ market, ask around. CSAs give you incredible value for your money, and it feels great to know you’re supporting local farmers.

How do you save money while eating for energy? Leave a comment and share your best tips for being thrifty!