Cheers to another CSA session in the books! Lately, time feels like it is flying by faster than ever. Here we are already at the week before Christmas, and while it sure is a shock, we’ve been buckling down and getting ready for what’s ahead. We’ve got some exciting things in store for the rest of this year and in the new year…

For us, the best part of every holiday is the food. I know that for my family, having good food on the table is the best chance of getting everyone in the same room to cherish each other’s company, be present, and be away from electronics.

We’re here for you to make sure you’ve got the very best to prepare for the holidays! Join us for our pop-up markets in the coming weeks: Thursday, December 23rd, right before Christmas at Westland Middle School, and Thursday, the 30th, right before New Year’s Eve at North Chevy Chase Elementary. Around this time last year, we began expanding our selections in the down season to include specialty produce, delicious gourmet foods, top-quality meats and seafood, and convenient chef-prepared meals. This year, we’re taking it up a notch with some new arrivals, like local duck breast, whole fresh turkeys, artisanal sausages, craft hot sauces and preserves from Baltimore, cooked lobster, and more. We’re also so glad to have restocked some of our personal favorites: freshly caught Atlantic scallops and locally smoked salmon, which are perfect additions to make your meals delicious and memorable. We recommend placing an order beforehand to ensure you get all the items you are looking for.

As we go into the New Year, we’ve decided to try something a bit different with our Winter CSA. We’re not skipping a beat, and starting in January, we will be offering week-to-week Winter CSA pick-ups on Saturdays and Sundays. By paying weekly, you can choose to come every weekend or only on the weekends that work best for you! This means more flexibility and no commitment while still reaping membership benefits and enjoying food from your favorite farmers and producers. We’re so excited to be able to bridge the gap between the time when our Peak-Season CSA starts up in April, as there is still so much good food to be shared in these colder months. Stay tuned to find out how to sign-up for this. More information is coming soon!

Francesca @ C.I.A. – End of the first semester

Today marks the official end of my first (in-person) semester at the Culinary Institute of America. Being in-person meant that I could finally start my kitchen classes, as I completed my degree program’s academics online during the pandemic before this. Every alumnus of this school stresses the importance of savoring every last bit of your C.I.A. experience because it goes by so quickly (just like at all colleges). I couldn’t begin to wrap my head around that before starting because my nerves were daunting. Now, even just one semester in, I wish I could shake my past self by the shoulders and tell myself how right they all are. Each week of school flew by faster than the last, and I watched my skin grow thicker, both metaphorically and literally, due to the callouses from holding my chef’s knife.

After an intense culinary finals week, the term “my brain is fried” takes on an entirely new meaning. As much as I loved the past three months, it will be nice not to smell like onions and grease traps for two weeks. Although I know that my family will put me to work cooking the holiday meals, so I am fully prepared to show them what I’ve been learning. After all, I’ll take all the practice I can get, because come next semester, the heat will be turned up more than a few notches.

My classmates and I became an inseparable family, with our Chef instructor as the mighty and proud leader. It took her a couple of weeks to lose the glimmer of disappointment in her eyes with us as a class, but we shaped up and exceeded her expectations. Every day after class, we all met in the dining hall to be brutally honest and compassionate with each other about how the day went, followed by roaring laughter and card games to ease our minds. Some days you burn your sauce or overcook your vegetables, and other days the chef gives you the firm and elusive handshake of approval that means you perfected your dish. We learned to take everything one day at a time and to stay humble. This concept is just one of the things I take away from this class that extends much further than just in the kitchen. I learned leadership, teamwork, and critical thinking skills that will influence every action I take in my life from here on out. To think this is just the beginning fills me with so much pride and vigor to continue on this path.