Valley Bounty: Winter CSAs

For many of us in the Pioneer Valley, the weekly ritual of swinging by the farm to pick up our farm share is a familiar fixture of the warm-weather months. As the days are (finally) starting to cool off, I only have a few Saturdays left on the calendar with “PICK UP FARM SHARE” scrawled in the box. But this year, I won’t have to give up farm visits altogether just because the fields are covered in snow; I’ll be braving the elements to pick up my winter veggie CSA and enjoying the local harvest for months to come.

Winter CSAs tend to include mostly storage crops like root vegetables (potatoes, carrots, beets, parsnips, daikon, etc.), onions, garlic, cabbage, leeks, and winter squash, as well as fresh greens grown in greenhouses. Some farms also include other local goods like cheeses, popcorn, and maple syrup. As a big fan of both hearty foods and prepping meals ahead of time, I like to use my winter share to make big batches of soup or stew to bring with me to work or throw in the freezer for later. Visit our online guide for info on CSA farms near you.