Reviews for: Shared Harvest CSA

It feels AMAZING to support our local farmers and growers! The local produce always tastes way better than anything that we get at the grocery store, and it makes us feel good to support our local communities. Blessed and grateful. Thank you!

I love, love love this CSA! And am sooooo excited that it is that time of year again. Amazingly fresh veggies PLUS options to pick up just what you need - like mushrooms, LOCAL flour, maple syrup, and beans.

I LOVE that this helps many different farms. So efficiently packed and ready for pickup. 2 couples split one share, there is so much food in each one. I cannot wait for October 18 :).

Meghan

I would highly recommend this CSA to everyone. The products are very high quality. The communication from Jane was very helpful; she even included photographs of the vegetables. Extras were of the highest quality too. Pick-up was timely and well organized.

The boxes and bags we get once a month for 3 months from Shared Harvest are amazing. There are plenty of greens and many storage veggies too. Delicious extras are offered too- cheeses, honey, apples, maple syrup. It definitely keeps us eating healthy throughout the dark winter months.

The first two years, we split a three-month share with another family. Last year, we got the two-month share. Everything is always fresh and delicious, and the root veggies store for months in the garage. The wide variety of veggies prompts me to try new recipes, which always leads to new family favorites.

Our family is happy to support local farmers!

I've been been a pleased Shared Harvest customer for 3 years now. The shares are fairly large; one share covers 4 people quite well in my experience. The quality and variety of produce is great, too. As others mentioned, there are plenty of foods you may not have bought in the market. That encourages one to be more adventurous in cooking/eating habits, and I've developed storage/preserving skills.

The local farms that supply Shared Harvest are superb growers. They are Riverland, Cider Hill, and Picadilly Farm.

The operation of the CSA is pretty smooth; you pay ahead, pickup your produce, and there are optional extra items you can order in advance (cheese, apples, maple syrup, etc). Brief weekly emails keep you informed of ordering deadlines and what you got in your share.

This is the second year I have shared a Shared Harvest Winter CSA share with friends/housemates. It's amazing how much variety we can continue to get even as the temperatures drop! Each pickup included a range of fresh greens, carrots, lettuce, beets, and other fresh veggies in addition to the expected root vegetables and onions. We also opted to get extra apples and maple syrup to last for awhile. It can be overwhelming to get it all at once. We split two shares between five people. And consuming the fresh stuff before it turns can dictate your diet more than some people are comfortable with. I find that it pushes me to eat and cook creatively. And when you get tired of something you still have a ton of, you can always trade it with a neighbor who has a lot of something you still crave! I know some of my co-share owners were not as optimistic as I was that we would not waste some of our fruits and vegs. But we managed very well (no wasted vegs) and still have a store of vegetables not even close to going bad. I highly recommend having a CSA share year round (as much as possible). It definitely takes time and adjusting your eating, but it's also fun.

This is the second year my family has participated in the Shared Harvest winter CSA. My only disappointment with the CSA is that there are only 3 distributions!

We participate in a number of CSAs and appreciate how smoothly this one is run, including quick pick ups on distribution day and the opportunity to find a ride share.

Of course, the best part is the food. The wonderful, incredibly fresh, and delicious local vegetables are the highlight of the share. Gretta uses the resources of various local farms to put together a very diverse box of food each month. There are plenty of staples such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash, onions, garlic, and carrots. There are tasty root vegetables such as turnips, rutabagas, and parsnips. Plus, the share includes fresh winter greens and a few more exotic veggies like celeriac, fennel, heirloom radishes. The early distribution included apples and dried beans were offered with each share. The amount of produce we got with each share lasted almost a month (two veggie loving adults and 1 small child)

Another nice feature is the Shared Harvest blog which Gretta keeps updated with useful storage tips, cooking ideas, and links to other sources for recipes.

We appreciate the opportunity to continue to eat locally into the early part of the winter and look forward to signing up again for the 2010 season.

This was our first year participating in the Shared Harvest Winter CSA and we are so happy we did! My husband and I make all of our food from scratch and love to know that our food didn't travel too far, didn't cost too much in fuel, refrigeration and transportation and supported local farmers. And we've never eaten so well!

Gretta runs a wonderful operation with great participating farms and helpful, fun and friendly volunteers. She offers links to resources on how to store your produce as well as great recipe sites! We signed up for the 3 shares and it will feed us (2 veggie friendly adults) through more than half the winter. We eat a lot of vegetables, and I'm happy to hunt for new recipes and innovative ways to use some of the foods we were unfamiliar with (celeriac and salad turnips). This share is definitely for people who enjoy eating the good hearty seasonal fall and winter crops that our New England soil produces.

The pickups are incredibly organized and well-staffed. The boxes have come brimming with green and purple cabbages, delicious sweet carrots, onions, leeks, garlic, squashes, potatoes, turnips, beets, sweet potatoes, wonderful heads of crisp fall lettuce, spinach, kale and more! We've learned to pop popcorn fresh off the dried stalk, grate crisp salad turnips to top off our salads with delicious flavor, roast beets in maple syrup for a treat no one could resist!

We've learned to be resourceful with storage, thanks to Gretta's info. sheets and now know that all the carrots, turnips, parsnips, cabbages, etc., store great in coolers in our bulkhead, the squashes and sweet potatoes do great on shelves under the basement stairs, the onions like a cool spot near a basement window and the greens store well in the fridge. We've had the chance to buy extras like apples that still tasted fresh and delicious after Christmas, local maple syrup, beans for soups and hearty meals, enough garlic to last the winter, cheeses and additional root crops. This is a great way to learn about the abundance and nourishment of eating locally and coming together with community to feed ourselves and each other.

We are so glad we've found this CSA and become a part of this community!

As a farmer, I've been involved in selling CSA shares for years, but have never received one myself. This was a great share to start with!

Thanks to the wide variety and quantity of vegetables (and my own pantry stores), I was able to eat vegetables solely from the share (for a household of 2) for the first half of the winter. Two big boxes of roots, squash, onions, garlic, kale, lettuce, cabbage, spinach, leeks, parsley and cilantro, bok choy....

If you don't like roots, this isn't a share for you. Arriving home with two huge boxes of veggies to store for a month can be a little overwhelming, too, but I was impressed with how long things lasted. I stored the roots in the fridge, and they did great. I still have some squash and onions under the shelf in my pantry, and they are looking perky.

Gretta does a great job organizing the pickups. In addition to a great selection of vegetables, the share included delicious dried beans and apples. There is also the opportunity to buy extra local products - honey, eggs, cheese, maple syrup, bulk veggies. I found this really helpful, and am still enjoying a big bag of local garlic I bought from the share. (I always dread the day when I have to go back and buy grocery store garlic....)

All told, this is a great winter share if you love eating seasonally and dread the day when your summer CSA ends and you're forced to buy kale from CA in the grocery store. With the Shared Harvest CSA, you'll get your fill of cold-hardy New England favorites - yup, that means turnips and celeriac, but sweet potatoes and parsnips, too.

Overall, I highly recommend this share. A lovely and delicious experience all around.

This was our first year with the Shared Harvest CSA, and a winter CSA in general. I was really impressed with the dark green kale and excited about the popping corn.

We stored the potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and beets in two tubs of sand in the basement, covered with plywood. Critters can't get to them and they don't rot. The variety of root vegetables,squash, fresh greens, beans and extras (like maple syrup and honey!) made for some great meals. FInding recipes and experimenting with different flavors was particulary satisfying.

Pickup was a little far from us (Worcester) but definitely worth the drive. Everyone was friendly and the site was well organized. We're looking forward to next year!

I was a 2009 Winter Shareholder, and I was *extremely* pleased with my share!

I've been part of winter shares before that seem to consist entirely of turnips and potatoes. Not this one! Gretta put together a nice balance of greens, cabbage, winter squash, celeriac, carrots, dry beans, apples, parsnips, beets, sweet potatoes, radishes, and, yes, turnips and potatoes. We also had the option of ordering add-ons from local producers - apples, cheese, maple syrup, and honey, or extra root vegetables. It was wonderful to be able to get great local products after the farmers' markets closed for the season.

The shares lasted our family for about two weeks apiece, feeding two vegetable-happy adults and three vegetable-neutral children (they liked the potatoes, sweet potatoes, and carrots). We kept the boxes in an attached garage, and didn't have any problems with spoilage--except the radishes, which I don't like anyway.

I only wish there were a January distribution!

Here's what I wrote Gretta last winter:

"We LOVE the food you're growing at the Belmont CSA! Having the winter share, our first, is a life-changing experience, just like having the summer share (Waltham Fields) was. We learned how to store the winter vegetables, and we're trying new recipes every week. To be able to say this after nearly forty years of extensive food experience as a discerning eater and serious cook is very cool. I look out my window this morning at the falling snow and remember your snowy field and the rows of dark green kale. Then I remember the sublime Portuguese kale soup Mayhew made with that kale. And the big baskets of butternut and acorn squashes in our basement, then the garlicky soup I recently made with them. The leeks, onions, parsnips, carrots, potatoes--what a bounty even now just seven days from the winter solstice. The multi-farm winter share is a TERRIFIC idea. More, please!"

You might think the winter share LOOKS like too much food for a family of four, but it's not. Not even for two, like my husband and I. The winter share consists of our old friends the Chiller Dillers, the Rootie Patooties, and the Cellar Dwellers--vegetables that can be stored and cooked as needed through the winter, just like our grandmothers used to do.

One thing we did find, however, was that we needed to buy a 2nd fridge and to set up some shelves in the basement.

Cellar Dwellers such as winter squashes can keep for months, no problem. Many even improve with storage.)Or split and roast as many as you can fit on a cookie sheet, scoop the flesh into Ziplocs and freeze the pulp for great soups later.

Chiller Dillers and many Rootie Patooties like carrots, beets, parsnips or celery root keep in the fridge for months (in plastic bags). Cabbage too. If outer leaves start to go, just peel them off and cook the cabbage into something delicious.

Kale can be chopped, bagged raw in Ziplocs, and frozen or first stir fry it in a bit of water and freeze.

I thought I would never say this about winter vegetables, but...yum yum, bring 'em on!

We are looking forward to our second year of Belmont CSA winter shares.

Last year, I was worried that a share would be too much and split mine with a neighbor despite Gretta's warning that her shares were sized for a single family. Sure enough - we found it incredibly hard to divvy up the produce so that everyone received enough of everything. This year we will have all that yummy produce to ourselves!

I really appreciate the fact that my kids can see the farm, receive the box, understand what grows here in the fall/winter, and realize that all sorts of interesting local vegetables are delicious in the winter. Thank you Gretta!

Last years winter CSA was great! Thank you all farms! I really enjoyed all the food. I liked the sage which I was able to dry and use in soup. I am so happy I did this. I am a single person and it saved me so much money. I did not buy 1 vegetable for the 3 months. I used what I got in my share and it was just enough. I rarely had left over veggies before the next pick up. Thank you again. I am so happy I was able to be in the winter share. - Ellen

I only learned about the Belmont Winter CSA last year as we prepared to move to another town a few miles away. I subscribed anyway because local produce is quite hard to come by in this area.

We just loved it and resubscibed for this winter. There are just two of us, but unlike a summer share, most of the vegetables are suitable for cold storage, so nothing goes to waste if you don't eat it up immediately. We eat A LOT of vegetables, but I think a share would easily feed a family of four more normal vegetable eaters.

It is important to have space to correctly store the produce - we have section of our basement that has a dirt floor and it stays quite cold - we also have a second fridge in the basement. As other reviewers have indicated, it is important to check the stored veggies often to use up any that maybe heading south. We did lose a couple of squash to mold as the weather warmed up but otherwise nothing went to waste.

I also took part in the experimental Preservation Share, which I really hope Gretta will offer again - I have a freezer ful of pesto, pints of pickles and quarts of tomatoes from my share.

All in all Belmont CSA rocks!!

Last year, I did the fall and winter CSA of Gretta's, and this year I've added the summer and preservation shares. I could not be happier. The winter share did a great job of feeding our family of four. We learned new ways to cook vegetables, and got introduced to some new to us vegetables. Two in our family are vegetarians, so having lots of squash was really great for us. We stored our veggies in the basement, and I think this year I'll take the extra steps and store it in the garage, to keep things a little colder. Twice weekly checks of the vegetables to see what needs to be eaten next are helpful so that we didn't waste anything. I think it is so great to have a farm in town, and the other reviewers are right - homegrown veggies taste so great! Knowing that Gretta grew these veggies made my kids much more eager to try them and be positive about them - who would guess that my 9 year old loves escarole (something I had never heard of, let along eaten, before the CSA!) Parsnips were another great favorite - we all loved those no matter how we cooked them.

When I was looking for a CSA close to me I never expected to find one in Belmont, but I did and have been a member for several years. This is a wonderful CSA. Greta's vegetables are beautiful and delicious. She now offers a preservation share and a winter share. I bought both and have enjoyed making pesto and pickles and look forward to making tomato sauce! I'll be a member as long as Greta keeps farming and as long as I'm in the area.

I so enjoyed having on hand potatoes, carrots, onions, squash and other seasonal veggies. The carrots were so sweet and big, they sliced up into excellent carrot sticks for my kids and all the veggies were excellent quality. The size of the share was generous and easily fed a large family of 5. The farm is beautiful and Gretta is a gracious and professional steward and offers a high quality product and service.

The Belmont CSA in the winter is a delight. You get wonderful fresh produce that you might not have thought to buy otherwise, and the recipe suggestions open new doors. It gets you in touch with your inner chef and gets you to try new things. I have to admit I loved just about everything, but my kids didn't always feel the same way. Things taste so much better when they are really fresh! My husband grew up with canned beets--he had no idea how wonderful they really can be--he's a convert now. Roasted root vegetables from the CSA were a big hit at Thanksgiving. We did a ride share and only had to pick up the veggies once. Way to go!

It is a constant pleasure to be a shareholder in the Belmont CSA. Gretta Anderson is a skilled farmer and an efficient business woman. The CSA runs smoothly and is responsive to the shareholders. Imagine being able to request fava beans as a crop, and lo and behold, there they are in your share the next spring. The winter share is full of wonderful stuff--especially the parsnips. You do need to like squash to get the most out of it.

The Belmont Winter CSA share is well-organized. We got a respectable amount of high-quality New England winter produce for our 2007-2008 -- wonderful carrots, potatoes, squash, turnips, hardy greens and so on -- plus fun extras like popcorn-on-the-cob. My children were quite excited about that.

The CSA puts together a ride share map, which makes it easy and convenient for shareholders to, well, share rides. I worked with four nearby households, and only ended up going to the farm to pick up my share once!

Altogether a pleasure.