We think being part of Harvest Kitchen is great, and the vast majority of our past members have loved it too.  Harvest Kitchen members claim that it helps them eat a healthier diet and that the food arouses the envy of their co-workers when they eat it at work.  Some report that their kids enjoy the dishes and salads and others tell us that coming home with the Harvest Kitchen bounty is like Christmas every week.  That said, Harvest Kitchen isn’t the right fit for everyone.  Here are some things to think about:

Flexibility – I think being flexible about your food is essential for being happy in any Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, and Harvest Kitchen is no exception.  Every week you’re going to get a variety of different dishes, and you’re not going to have much control over what they are.  This is like a mini-adventure! You’re probably going to get exposed to vegetables and styles of cooking you’ve never experienced before.  Many members get a thrill out of trying new things and learning to love veggies like bok choi and kale that we get in abundance.   If you’re someone who likes to be in complete control of your food, Harvest Kitchen might be hard for you because you have to release some of that control and go with the flow.  We try hard to make every dish outstanding, but we also cook a big variety of different things, so at some point you might get something that you don’t enjoy that much.   We hope you’ll let us know what you like and what you don’t like, but we definitely can’t guarantee that you’ll love every dish.  Hopefully you’ll be able to cultivate some flexibility and enjoy getting exposed to new food!

How many meals do we get?  How many people will this feed?

Oh man, this is definitely our more frequently asked question, and it is the hardest to answer.  The truth is that it depends a lot on your eating patterns.  For example, last week we made this delicious Cauliflower-Sausage quiche.  My parents got a 7” quiche and couldn’t finish it in one dinner—it was probably 3 meals total for them.  My friend Jeff, on the other hand, probably would’ve finished that quiche in one sitting and still felt hungry.  Here’s another example: almost every week in the summer our members get a quart of soup and a big bag of salad.  For some people, a nice bowl of soup, slice of bread, and salad makes a great meal.  If that’s you, that soup and salad would make several meals or servings.  But other people would eat that and wonder where the “main dish” of the meal was.   Again, it comes down to flexibility.

We like to estimate that a whole share is good for a family and a half share is better for an individual or couple, but there are certainly members who break this pattern.  Also, the quantity of food varies through the season—starting slow in the June while things are just starting at the Community Farm and becoming a flood in September and October when Mother Earth is going into high gear.  Many of our members tell us that they end up saving some of that fall bounty to enjoy in the winter.

The best way to get a sense for what you’re going to get is to read through the blog posts from past seasons.  Every week I wrote a little about what was going on at the Community Farm and I also listed the items that were in that week’s share and our menu for the week.  Visit the blog archives here and page through the old posts.  This is especially relevant for the vegetarian share.  Omnivore shares are new this year so I can’t point to anything specific online, just note that we estimate you’ll be getting around  6 lbs of meat in your share each week in addition to an abundance of amazing veggies from Community Farm.

On a tight budget?

As you can tell from visiting our Share Info page, membership in Harvest Kitchen isn’t cheap.  However, we think it’s a really good deal considering the quantity and quality of food you’re getting.  Many of our members agree.  A CSA program is a good deal only if you eat everything you get, and Harvest Kitchen can help with that—ideally, since it’s all ready-to-go, nothing will go to waste.  We’ve made payment plans available to spread out the financial commitment (you don’t have to pay it all up front).  We are also willing to discuss alternative payment arrangements if need be.  That said, if you’re on a really really tight budget, Harvest Kitchen may not be right for you.  Consider finding a friend to share a membership with if you want to give it a try but aren’t ready to commit to a whole or half share.

In conclusion, we would LOVE to have you be a part of the Harvest Kitchen this summer or at some point in the future.  If you have any questions about whether or not it’s the right fit for you, please send me a message at info@harvest-kitchen.com or call me on the phone (my number’s on the contact page).  If you think other people might have the same question, leave a note in the comments section and I’ll answer it there.

Peace

Mary

Pictures: 1. Miso soup on the stove 2. HK Staff have fun collecting vegetables 3. A share from December 2009