"Organic-Box" thanks to CSA

Example of one week's goodies, organic, 10€!

Although it's bitter cold outside and am itching for the time when I can finally start my seeds indoors, I think I have found a way to keep my gardening head high for now - with my Biokiste!

Biokiste is something I heard about from some colleagues here and thought sounded like a great idea - and it is! For those who don't know, the idea is that you can order a subscription from a local (!!!) farmer of vegetables, fruits, and other organic products, and you get a them delivered to your door either on a weekly or bi-weekly basis in a nice green box - thus the name "Biokiste", literally meaning "organic crate".

In the box pictured at the left that I received one week this fall, got a huge head of lettuce, plums, apples, tomatoes, brussel sprouts, and green beans, yum!

And there is a similar system in the States too, available in all regions! It's called CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture. To find or join a CSA near you, visit Local Harvest or Just Food - you can do a search by for example Zip Code, find the one nearest you, and see their specific offer. For my German readers, CSA is also offered in many cities by various companies around Germany - I use Biokiste (also the company name), specifically the "Regional Vegetable and Fruit Box", but I'd recommend just doing a Google search for "biokiste + your city" to find one nearby.

Besides the fact that they deliver directly to your door (and do all the other customers in your area on the  same day) and the obvious fact that you get fresh, locally-grown produce by farmers from your region, there are lots of things that I absolutely love about CSA:

1. Again, regionally-grown vegetables! I've even chosen the box with only regional produce...Biokiste offers the option of more diverse boxes with organic produce from around the world, but I wanted to go totally local.Good for the environment, and local, like I think is best to eat.
2. Since they're locally-grown, the vitamin content is high because the vegetables aren't prematurely harvested due to ensure that they don't go bad on long transits. Plus they are suited to the climate in which they are grown, which is just more as nature intended.
3. Because of this, they taste absolutely wonderful! NOTHING like from the grocery store!
4. It's a way to get your veggies - and you'll want to since they actually taste like something
5. You get to experience new varieties - can't tell you how many new varieties and types of vegetables I've gotten to experience so far (and it's only been about 5 months in so far!) - even stuff you can't get at the store! I've also gotten things that I have of course seen before, but wouldn't have bought, so my eyes have been opened :)
6. My Biokiste includes a few recipes on the back of the bill, which is nice in case you're not sure what to do with the new vegetables.
7. And best of all....it's not expensive, especially considering that it is organic produce! I get about 10lbs of fruits and vegetables each week for 10€ - unbelievable and unbeatable.
8. Not to mention they offer a great service - a nice mixture of produce every week (not just cabbage all winter), and if you don't want something one week or do want something in particular, they will honor your wishes if at all possible! So if you get sick of something or just plain don't like it, you can request something else to replace it!
9. ...and it's all supporting farmers from around the area!

So for me it's a win-win situation - fresh, awesome veggies delivered to my door, AND I get the feeling of having homegrown produce until I can actually grow some myself! And in the meantime I can enjoy lovely organic, homemade squash soup to keep me warm in the frigid cold!