Okay, Okay, I’ll admit, I’m a little bias as JR’S holds a place in my heart.

When we first moved to San Diego In October, Peter and I knew we wanted to get involved with the awesome Farm to Table movement. We were already teaching plant-based kids cooking classes through our Non-Profit but we wanted to start helping all ages eat healthier and encourage the community to shop at the farmers markets. So peter had this great idea to reach out to some of the organic farms in the area. 

So that’s exactly what we did, unfortunately a lot of farms were not interested, some said they already have cooks and recipe creators, some just said no… maybe because we are younger or maybe because we’re from Seattle :0 I’m not sure why exactly. But JR’S wrote back right away and said something along the lines of, “Sounds great what do you have in mind”. From that moment on we’ve been working with JR’S Marketing Extraordinaire JoanE to create awesome CSA Parties at San Diego farmers markets and get more people eating local organic food.

All that aside, one of the questions we get asked the most at the markets is What is CSA? Followed by… How do I sign up? Who do I sign Up with?  We’ve decided to start reviewing the various CSA Boxes and programs in San Diego in hopes of helping you decide which CSA is the right choice for you and different programs that are available.

CSA Program: JR’S Organic Farm

Farm Location: Escondido, CA (North County San Diego)

Fun Fact: Has been certified organic since 1986!

Must Check Out: Heirloom Red Carrots

JR’S offers two different CSA Boxes: a large and a small. 

The large box contains 11 items and the small box contains 7 item’s. If you’re a member of our recipe subscription I highly recommend you buy the large box, as you Will and Should be going through that many fruits and veggies.

One thing we really like about JR’S is the variety of things you’ll find in the boxes; it’s not only vegetables but fruit as well. Periodically they’ll include things like dried beans (Black Eyed Peas this week) and Fruit Jams (Strawberry Jam a few weeks ago).

One question we get a lot is…“what happens if I get something I don’t like?”

If you asked us we would say that’s the whole point, it pushes you outside your comfort zone and gets some nutrient-dense vegetables into your system you normally wouldn’t buy. But lucky for you JR’S is a lot more understanding. If you get an item you don’t like they’ll let you switch it out for something you do like at any of their markets.

One feature of this CSA Box that I absolutely love is the ability to put your box on hold as many times as you like with no penalty. This is perfect for those of you who travel a lot or have big summer vacations planned.

Another thing we hear a lot is… “how do I pick up my box?”

You can pick up your box at any farmers market JR’s sells at (I recommend picking up at the market). But you can also pick up at various host locations throughout the community. For a full list click Here.

So how expensive is it? 

Less expensive than buying organic at the grocery store and WAY fresher… like, crazy fresh! 

CSA’s are subscription-based, so you buy for a certain amount of time. This way the farmers can plan on how much food to grow. I like to think of it as Joe growing food specifically for me, and I have to let him know in advance to grow those awesome heirloom carrots I like!

To give you an idea, it’s about 29 dollars for a large box and 23 dollars for a small box. To see a sample of the produce you can expect to find in a box, click Here.

Lastly the support and customer service at JR’S is AWESOME. If you have any questions just email JR’S and they’ll get back to you with lightning speed. They also offer great recipes to help support their members – and one’s that we sometimes contribute, like the one’s below…

Interested in learning more about JR’S or checking out our recipe for Black Bean Beet Brownies or Roasted Parsnip fries click on over Here.

Are you a CSA Member?

If so, which one do you belong to?

How do you like it?