Bryan Palmer CSA

The week I considered joining, he showed a "typicial" weekly share, which was well worth the money. He also promised items like pesto and salsa and said that the summer crops were "basically all you can eat." Unfortunately, the size of the weekly share has decreased gradually, and there is little variety. A typical share now includes one or two squash, a couple of onions, a half dozen beets no larger than radishes, an eggplant (which we indicated that we didn't want when we signed up), and a few peppers. We sometimes get a sandwich bag of peas or beans as well. I have never found the peas to be very good, but we started in the mid spring, so we may have missed some of the sweetest peas.

It is the middle of September and I have never received pesto or salsa, which isn't a surprise, since I received one tiny bag of basil and have not seen a single tomato. I have also never seen basic items like corn or berries or probably half of the items promised when we joined.

Bryan himself is a very friendly guy, when you can get him to help. He's usually more interested in the flowers. I think he has decided that they are more lucrative than produce, so people buying flowers receive most of his attention. You are usually helped by a couple of young men who, while not unfriendly, are not terribly helpful or knowledgeable. It seem like I usually have to remind him what is missing from my share.

I have never gone to pick myself, and the yield might be quite a bit bigger if you do. Still, that wasn't a condition when I signed up.

Spring crops started well and tapered off, and summer crops were a disappointment. We'll see how fall goes.