Achieving Peak Salad Enjoyment Through Your CSA Share and Farmers Market

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares and farmers markets are in full spring-vegetable mode right now, and it’s a perfect time for salad-making. So how do you put together a salad from your box items and the plethora of options at the farmers market? There are ways to work it to your advantage and we are here to show you how. 

CSA Shares

Photo credit: Lucky Crow Farm

Because CSAs work on a seasonal schedule, and the items in your box have been harvested as close to distribution as possible (things like garlic and sweet potatoes, however, do need to cure), you are ensured truly fresh produce for your salads—plus the satisfaction in knowing you are supporting local farmers and local agriculture. You can really use anything to make a salad: greens are the obvious one, but thinly-sliced fennel, cubes of apples, slices of stone fruit, chopped tomatoes, roasted potatoes, handfuls of berries—and beyond—are all fair game. 

What’s Good Together?

When I was a CSA shareholder (I helped run the Hellgate CSA in Astoria, Queens for a decade), I would look for what ingredients would taste good together. Look in your box, what do you see? You can combine bulkier items (e.g., asparagus) together and use the greens as a base for them. Additions of legumes, lentils, nuts, and cheese will up the protein content. You can also add tinned fish like tuna or salmon. 

Some flavor combinations that are reliable: potatoes and rosemary; tomato and basil; asparagus and lemon or savory; winter squash and thyme; radishes and salt; spinach and pickled onions; kale and Parmesan.

Your CSA may participate in the Cook With What You Have program—check with your core group leaders about that. Anne Schneider, the Communications & Outreach Director with Pacific NW CSA Coalition mentioned it. The program’s creator, Katherine Deumling, “creates template recipes for just about anything so you can mix and match ingredients.” If your CSA doesn’t include this subscription service to CWWYH for members, you can subscribe on your own. She includes a number of hearty salads on her website. 

Recommendations from Pacific Northwest CSA Coalition (PNWCSA)

Photo credit: PNWCSA

We reached out to the Pacific Northwest CSA Coalition (PNWCSA) Coalition, and Piper Davis—a 20 year CSA member herself and PNWCSA board member—offered these ideas:

Salad, it’s not just lettuce! Many vegetables that are typically cooked make incredible salads, especially when they are delicious CSA vegetables. Use your intuition and lean toward what tastes good to you. In the last week, here are a few of the salads I have made, and not one of them used lettuce.

• Cauliflower Slaw: Shave raw cauliflower, add parsley or cilantro or both, and dress it with Mayo, Olive oil, Lime and Chili flakes. Use salt and pepper to your taste.
• Snap Pea Salad: Cut snap peas in half, add diced spring onion and mint, and dress with rice wine vinegar, olive oil and a touch of sesame oil. Add toasted sesame seeds if you have them. Use salt and pepper to your taste.
• Grated Beets: This one blew me away … grated spring beets, toasted pepitas, parsley and a mustard vinaigrette. I served it on top of the beet greens that had been sauteed and dressed in the same dressing at room temp. Use salt and pepper to your taste.

Farmers Markets

Photo credit: Keri Friedman for Rocky Butte Farmers Market

Unlike the CSA setup, where pre-chosen produce comes to you, at a farmers market, it’s you that goes to the produce (obvious, but true). Especially in the spring, when there is so much bursting in the fields, it can feel a little intimidating figuring out just what to buy. The larger markets, like Hollywood or PSU offer so many choices. 

Bottom line: buy what looks good to you! Everything will be in season and fresh, so you don’t even have to take that into account. It’s a given. 

Shopping Strategies

This article from TODAY has some solid pointers on how to shop for salad at the farmers market. They include:

First, if possible, survey the market for selections and prices, then head to the vendors that offer what you want. This is my personal MO when it comes to shopping at a farmers market, even if it’s one I’ve been to many times. I like to look at variety, quality, and pricing on the one hand, and what my favorite farms are offering on the other. I find a middle ground that works for me—you’ll find one that works for you, too.

Ask the vendors questions. This is one of the best things about shopping at a farmers market—being able to chat with the farmers and ask questions. They will often have recommendations and can guide you to something you may not have considered.

Go for variety and visually-striking greens. We are visual animals, and greens that are exciting and beautiful are worth considering. Independent farmers have more opportunity to grow more unusual greens, which you can take advantage of. Heirlooms are some of my favorites, such as the Little Gems vs. the more familiar Romaine lettuce.

A lot of farmers markets have non-produce vendors—salmon, meats, baked goods, nuts, cheeses, fruit/dried fruit. You can even buy vegetable starts to grow your own—a container garden featuring lettuces, arugula, and other greens is easy to tend even on a small apartment patio/terrace. I did it for a number of years, and having fresh greens was terrific.

Getting It All Home

Here’s some solid guidance from the Portland Farmers Market on how to get your purchases home from the market, from their Farmers Market Essentials. Highlights from the article include:

Carrying Bags. You’ll need to carry with you what you buy, and tote bags are my default. They pack easily in the car, and depending on the size, can carry a lot. Another type of bag recommended in the article is the backpack, which helps if you are traveling by foot or taking transit. Not mentioned is the basket—my gardening friend Dave uses one when he goes to the market. That way you can lay down greens easily without accidentally squishing them. 

Item Bags and Containers. This includes produce bags: “mesh bags for dry items like apples or potatoes, and plastic bags for wet, leafier items like lettuce and summer squash.” Most vendors will have plastic bags for you, but reusing your own is a good idea, too. The tip of bringing empty containers (stainless steel or plastic) for things like berries is a great idea. 

If you’d like to get a grasp on what’s in season at Portland farmers markets, check out the What’s In Season page. And they’ve also got a whole selection of salad recipes, too. There’s even a Portland Farmers Market Cookbook! You can pick one up at their farmers market locations for $15.

Where do we shop when it comes to farmers markets? Rocky Butte, Hollywood, and Montavilla for Meg; Hillsdale, also Montavilla, Cully Farmers Market, and People’s Coop Farmers Market for Judith.

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Judith and I are both super fans of CSAs and farmers markets. I hope this article will inspire you to subscribe and/or shop!