Conflicted about ordering CSA

[Poddi]

I've used the same farm for CSA for two years.  This year's sign up has just started and I can't decide.  The price is reasonable, pick-up location isn't too out of the way and I like most of the veggies.  But the problem is lettuce.  We get about a head of lettuce plus a bag of mixed salad leaves every single week.  My family eat very little salad so most of that get wasted.  I tried to offer them to neighbors and they don't want them either.  Lettuce and salad mix are about the only veggies you absolutely can't freeze and eat them slowly later.

I love most of their other produce, especially the cucumbers and summer squash.  But tossing all the lettuce away every week makes me feel so guilty.  Unfortunately they don't do substitutions.

What would you do in my situation?

[aeterna]

I'd figure that the $1.50-$3 worth of lettuce probably isn't worth ditching a CSA I otherwise really like, and throw away the lettuce. Or compost it. Or stop by the local soup kitchen on my way home and give it to them.

[kittynurse]

Can you offer it to someone else who is picking up?

[LindyGirl]

Originally Posted by aeterna 

I'd figure that the $1.50-$3 worth of lettuce probably isn't worth ditching a CSA I otherwise really like, and throw away the lettuce. Or compost it. Or stop by the local soup kitchen on my way home and give it to them.

I agree.

Or, make an extra effort to eat a salad once a week? Or use it to make lettuce wraps for other things? The CSA I was in really forced me to eat things that were outside of my comfort zones, especially when I was getting three heads of kale a week for a month!
 

[JudiAU]

Maybe make a deal with yourself that you will use half of what you receive each week and "gift" the other head of lettuce into someone else's bag when you do pick up or leave it in the work refrigerator with a note: eat me with the other? I don't think it is worth skipping a CSA delivery for lettuce.

Also, consider exploring other uses for lettuce like in a wilted saute or in soup. Many greens can be used like spinach. Braised lettuce is actually very nice and also good with peas.

[zebra15]

I don't do CSA but I was on WIC with my DS.  I was able to 'give away' so much MILK that we just couldn't use in the time before it went bad. I bet if you tried people will take the lettuce. (I would).  Either leave it at work, leave it at the CSA, make a huge salad for work 1x a week etc.  Trust me, people will say 'no' but when presented with FREE FOOD, they will eat it.

[superspatula]

when i did a CSA they had a box of extras and you could swap/gift/take stuff.  If yours doesn't do that maybe you could suggest it?"

[Momsteader]

Definitely suggest a swap box!

We get a lot of lettuce from our food co-op too. I find that we can get through a lot more lettuce if we make 'chopped' salads. Dice the lettuce and any add-ins. It makes the pieces small initially so it fills the bowl more and less stuffing the piles of lettuce in. You can also make it more like a 'coleslaw' type incorporated salad with lots of mix-ins and dressing added in to the bowl and the extras don't sink to the bottom of the pile of lettuce. When my kids were younger, they found this easier too, because they could eat their salad with a spoon!

[Poddi]

Thanks!  I've ordered it.  The problem with swap box is we're usually the last one or second last one at our pick-up location, because DH goes there after work.  So any veggies we leave there will just rot.  I guess I'll figure out something.

[ASusan]

I"m right there with you , wasting the CSA leaves. The best I can do is to put them in a smoothie. That was working great until I got pregnant, and just when I *should* be downing green smoothies, I couldn't. So we've wasted greens almost every week since Sept. I still have 2 bags of them in the cold garage, waiting for lentil-bacon-greens soup or a smoothie. Or the compost

[SunRise]

Get a pet rabbit! Ok just kidding. Tacos? Burritos?

I love the idea of a CSA, but where I live, we have to drive 45 mins each week to pick up the stuff and the thought of that became tiring. If you get lots of other vegetables weekly, then I would try to find a friend to pass this on to, or a soup kitchen.

Originally Posted by Poddi 

I've used the same farm for CSA for two years.  This year's sign up has just started and I can't decide.  The price is reasonable, pick-up location isn't too out of the way and I like most of the veggies.  But the problem is lettuce.  We get about a head of lettuce plus a bag of mixed salad leaves every single week.  My family eat very little salad so most of that get wasted.  I tried to offer them to neighbors and they don't want them either.  Lettuce and salad mix are about the only veggies you absolutely can't freeze and eat them slowly later.

I love most of their other produce, especially the cucumbers and summer squash.  But tossing all the lettuce away every week makes me feel so guilty.  Unfortunately they don't do substitutions.

What would you do in my situation?

[Ellien C]

I like the idea of promising yourself to try and use half of it and agreeing to somehow dispose of the other half. I did that with tomatoes, which I like but we had a LOT of one year and beets (of which I wasted far too many the first year).  You might be able to contact people at your pick-up point and ask if anyone wants the lettuce. Maybe they could pull it out of your box and just set it aside with a note on it.

[Wolfcat]

My family isn't a big salad eating family either. Veggies, yes; salads, no. So once, we made what we called carnivore salad: Bacon, chicken, pepperoni, eggs, a ton of veggies, cabbage and a whole head of lettuce. It got eaten up so fast! Just make up a big something that you know people will love and it'll take care of itself.

[rebirth]

You can add lettuce to your stock bag too.


Doula mama to my nursing toddler Noah and June baby growing

[crunchy_mommy]

What's wrong with lettuce? lol Send it to me, we'll gladly eat it!!

Have you tried making your own salad dressings? We eat WAY more salad with homemade dressings. Lettuce wraps with peanut sauce are good too.

I've also seen people cut up salad & put it in small mason jars. Apparently it doesn't wilt or brown in the fridge if it's in a mason jar? Then everyone can have a small salad whenever (pack it for school lunch or work) and it's convenient & not so overwhelming as having a giant head of lettuce.

But if you really can't eat it, drop it off at the food bank or leave it at work with a sign that says 'free'... or find someone to split your CSA share with you & take the lettuce & some other stuff?

[Breathless Wonder]

Maybe you could suggest to the CSA that they set up, or allow someone to set up, a Facebook page or group, or an e-mail group so swaps can happen, recipes can be exchaged, that sort of thing?  I'm sure they don't want to see the food that they grew go to waste either.  Or just post a traditional WANTED sign at the pick/up drop off point BEFORE the next delivery, since it is so close, with your phone number on it, stating that you have extra lettuce to trade or sell, or give away.