Grasshopper New Media Presents...

I belong to a Community Supported Agriculture Farm, or CSA. In February, I pay a flat fee, and from June through Halloween, I get a share of the farm’s production. This year, we’ve had heirloom tomatoes (over 70 varieties), green beans, corn, edamame, gorgeous eggplant, flowers, herbs, garlic, onions, pumpkins and gourds, and a new twist- Loofah.

I never really knew where loofah “sponges” came from. I thought they were like sea sponges, but actually, they come from a kind of squash. So I took this weird-looking green squash home, and looked up on the ‘net how to prepare it for use as a sponge.

It’s so easy! All you do is peel the squash with a veggie peeler, squeeze out the pulp and seeds, and let it dry. Some sponges are more brown, others very white. Mine is so much softer that the ones I usually buy, and discovering this great loofah inside a squash was quite the science experiment for me and the children.

I am even contemplating growing our own next year- what a cool nature’s bounty gift for relatives, teachers and everyone- a loofah you grew yourself, with some nice soap or bubble bath tucked in.

This was a very cool surprise to the great bounty that our CSA has given us. You can find out if there are CSA farms in your area by going to the website : http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

By joining a farm, you help keep local farming going; you learn to eat with the seasons, as the freshest produce is available, and frankly, it ends up being a good investment. For $450, I received 20 weeks of veggies that often would have cost $50 or more per week for the same volume. Sure, we have squash coming out of our ears from time to time, but that’s what neighbors are for.

Some farms are 100% organic, others are not. A previous CSA I belonged to also had chickens and eggs available- we got fingerling potatoes in every color and variety, and beets coming out of our ears (which has never been my all time favorite veggie, to be honest.)

The variety of produce varies, but now that I belong to a CSA, I can’t imagine going a year without it. It helps support my local farmers, and it is frankly a bargain in the long run. This year, consider joining a CSA (usually you pay in February or march, but it totally depends on the farmer)- You won’t regret it.

by Whitney Hoffman

[tags]home, loofah, homemade, squash, veggies, vegetables, www.localharvest.org, CSA, co-ops, agriculture, gifts, bath[/tags]
Photo graciously provided by the author, through a Creative Commons license, some rights reserved