seasonality

Community Supported Agriculture is for adventurous eaters, conscientious consumers, and those with culinary curiosity.  As we move through the spring's cool weather crops, to summer staples, and on to fall's long season crops, you'll get to experience a wide spectrum of the over 70 different crops of fruits and vegetables we grow at 5 Loaves Farm.

A more sustainable and just local food system looks more like a farm stand filled with seasonal specialties (like spring snap peas, summer tomatoes, and fall squash) and novel native food sources (like mulberries, saskatoons, and elderberries), than store shelves stocked with the exact same varieties 365 days a year.  Embracing the challenge and wonder that this brings to your eating experience is one of the most exciting things about a CSA.

So we wanted to provide you some resources to help you make the most out of the diverse array of foods you'll be seeing in your CSA baskets.

First is a chart that shows you when you are most likely to see different foods in your farm shares.  Not everything on the chart is grown at 5 Loaves Farm, and there are always exceptions to when something could show up, but hopefully, this provides a helpful overall guideline.

Secondly, some find it hard to consume all they receive in a week, and quickly start to feel bad about food going to waste, so we have provided another chart on how to best store the different foods you get, and how to get the most enjoyment out of them.

There are also some tricks for preserving all those spring cooking greens, summer string beans, or a bumper crop of tomatoes come September.  If you know when you get home that it is likely you won't eat all that food this week, cutting off the stems and throwing those cooking greens in a freezer bag will mean you can be cooking next winter with local greens. Dehydrating beans for a dried on-the-go snack, or canning things like tomatoes takes a bit more know-how and equipment.  But never fear, we'll be providing resources like how-to guides and access to classes where you can be guided through hands-on training.

Lastly, each week we feature recipes using the produce included in your share.  These recipes help give ideas for how to use those unique and perhaps new-to-you foods or inspire a new spin on the classic staples (how do I use all those peppers again this week!).

We're excited to share the bounty that the WNY growing season and the unique micro-climates we've created on our urban farm can bring to your dinner table.  We trust that you are just as excited and we look forward to partnering with you to make this a truly full-FILLING experience!