Seasonal fresh produce is readily available in stores and markets in and around Livingston, yet, when I read in Patch that a new "West Essex CSA" was forming, organized by two Livingston women, I wanted to join. I’d been “lurking” on the sidelines, eating and cooking with gusto and reading and talking about healthy foods, sustainable farming, and the environment, but not actually participating in a food co-op or CSA, which stands for Community Supported Agriculture.  

“A CSA group coordinates with local and regional farmers to bring high quality, locally grown, organic produce into their community weekly or bi-weekly,” said JJ Bruno, who runs the West Essex CSA with Jackie Lowe.  

“A typical season runs from June until the end of October or even into November," Bruno said. "This enables the farmer to give you a nice selection of seasonal fruits and vegetables.” 

The West Essex CSA farmers are located in New Jersey, so the food is not shipped or trucked from long distances, taking less time and energy to get to us. 

Being an empty nester, I got two friends to go in with me, and together the three couples purchased one vegetable share and one fruit share. We pick up the goods every other Tuesday afternoon between June 21 and November 15 at the Essex County Environmental Center in Roseland. The total cost is $460, or $42 per pickup, or $21 per week, or $7 per family per week.  

Of course, paying one third of the cost means receiving one third of the food. In the beginning of the season, in large part due to the rainy spring, some of the portions were so small all we could do was nosh.  Still, I appreciated the rationale of letting the seasons and weather affect what we eat.

Each pickup is different, depending on what’s in season, what’s ripe, and what the farmers harvest, providing inspiration to cook and taste a variety of new dishes.   

Over time I think the CSA will expand not just my palate but that of my husband, who is a bit cool to many members of the fruit and vegetable family. If the fruits and vegetables are in the fridge, he may just want to eat them. 

The first pickup in June had dozens of beautiful Queen Anne cherries, for example, and they were quickly eaten. It also contained a large bunch of radishes, more than I’ve ever seen in one place, and way too many for a salad or garnish. Guess what, JJ and Jackie told the truth: roasted radishes are delicious! 

Our third pickup consisted of 14 peaches, 44 round juicy plums, two zucchini, two yellow squash, a patty pan squash and a light green tinted squash, four potatoes, a cabbage, cucumbers, two dozen string beans, and a head of broccoli. 

The bite-sized plums were quickly devoured. What to do with the luscious peaches?  Susan, one of my CSA partners and a terrific baker, made a peach pie with crumb topping. A friend who is a food co-op veteran suggested I modify her “pear chutney” with peaches (we added tamari soy sauce, apricot preserves and sautéed onions to the chopped peaches) and serve with sautéed chicken. Voila: Marge’s pear chutney became Ellen’s peach relish. 

Susan also made delicious zucchini sticks breaded with panko crumbs and parmigiano cheese.  I baked a zucchini bread, the only zucchini product, so far, that some kids I know like to eat.  It was wolfed down.  And I sliced and diced and cooked all the funny squash together in a pan with onions, garlic and tomatoes. A tasty potpourri. 

Another time we savored a dozen tiny purple majesty potatoes, which are said to be loaded with huge amounts of a particular antioxidant that not only lowers the risk of cancer and heart disease, brings down cholesterol and strengthens the immune system, it also decreases age-related memory loss. Now, where was I? 

Not every endeavor was a success. Vegetable pancakes, with grated summer squash, chopped kale and peppers, eggs and flour, had mixed reviews. A newspaper recipe for Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez’ crunchy kale chips didn’t turn out well for our family, either.    

I love knowing where the produce comes from, picking it up every other week and chatting with JJ and Jackie and the customers who are all enthusiastically committed to fresh, seasonal, organic, local food. 

“Did you know that eggs from a local organic farmer could give you 3-4 times the amount of omega 3 fatty acids that you find in store bought eggs?” JJ mentioned.  “I refuse to serve my family GMO (genetically modified) products," she added. "Having a farmer provide organically grown corn on the cob that tastes amazing is worth the wait.”  

She handed me a sample heirloom tomato from a crate on the table.  Yum! 

I have learned to handle the purchases carefully, especially the ripe fruits, so that they do not get cut or bruised. While it cannot all be consumed immediately, I find that the refrigerated produce maintains its flavor for a long time. I wash off the soil and put the veggies – cabbage, carrots, kale, lettuce, squash, cucumber, peppers, a tiny eggplant - in plastic bags with a couple of holes for ventilation.  Fruits and vegetables should be stored separately, because many fruits release ethylene, a substance that speeds the ripening process of vegetables. I like to jazz up the usual turkey sandwich with baby lettuce, shredded carrots and even thinly sliced peaches close at hand. 

The CSA gets its fruits from Tree-Licious Orchards in Port Murray and its vegetables from Cedar Creek Farms Inc. in Johnsonburg, NJ, both of which use low-impact, organic, sustainable farming methods. Tree-Licious grows apples, peaches, plums, pears, apricots and cherries; Cedar Creek specializes in heirloom vegetables and grows beans, carrots, squash, tomatoes, lettuce, peas, and peppers.  The CSA also offers chickens, eggs, cheese and other specialty products from Havenwood Farms.  

For more information about the West Essex CSA, email JJ and Jackie @ westessexcsa@yahoo.com.