Having had a really fun time getting into a CSA “veggie box” program offered through work last year (and blogging about that for several months), I’m definitely looking forward to getting going with this year’s CSA options. Since the veggie box program at work won’t start for another several weeks, we’ll likely jump on the bandwagon with our local farmstand earlier. They offer a full season package or, for a couple of dollars more per box, you can pay by the week only for the weeks that you actually want to get a box. Going with the latter is a fantastic way to check out what the farm has to offer and see how they run their program.

For those of you who aren’t in a CSA and who would like to learn more, you can find your nearest CSAs through a fantastic search tool offered at the LocalHarvest web site.

Last year, I found that the veggie box program at work ($20/box) was a deal for the Fall boxes until we got to the late Fall ones, where the bulk of what was in them was apples, potatoes and onions. Those items, it seems, are pretty much priced fixed all year at low enough prices that it didn’t save us money to get the veggie box versus buying the same type of produce at the grocery store. I will note, though, that I was typically pricing the “regular” versions of the produce, not the “organic”, which often have higher prices attached.

Naturally, the price wasn’t the only consideration; I also wanted to branch out and try new fruits/vegetables, and I wanted to see if we were able to sustain using more fresh items in our weekly meal plan. All of our goals were definitely met the first time out, so now it’s a matter of keeping things going.

Once we get up and running with the next veggie box (wherever I get it), I’ll post about the value from what I got as well as, of course, any new recipes! In the meantime, feel free to revisit memory lane by looking through how last year’s Adventures in CSA went…and buckle up for 2012!