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Our CSA Journey {Green B.E.A.N. Ohio Discount Code}

**This post is part of the Get Real series. Please remember that this is meant as a learning community. We know that many of you are passionate about what you do and we want you to express that, just please do so in a way that will be an encouragement and aid to others making a transition. We want this to be a “safe space” for participants to learn. For that reason, we reserve the right to delete any comments that are not handled in this manner.

We are 4 months into our real foods journey and our family is really embracing the changes. Some have been more of a struggle than others but most  have been very positive. I was excited as we approached this month and our focus on fruits and vegetables. Excited because I love fresh produce but really do struggle with this aspect of our real foods journey as much as I do with giving up caffeine. I struggle with making the right purchases, how to move growing our own produce and solutions for those items we can’t grow. I KNOW the dirty dozen and the items I really need to focus on buying organic; but I when push comes to shove at the grocery store, if faces with .99 cent a pound apples and $1.99 a pound organic apples I have trouble choosing the organic. My wallet starts screaming at me to PUT THEM BACK AND GO CHEAPER! Yes, I know the benefits and the cons but it is still a hard decision when faced with the choice. So what is a mama to do?

Since starting our journey I have bought less of my produce at the conventional grocery store and instead purchased most of it at the local farmer’s market. The reason being that when I am at the market I am given organic and local options. Either one of those is a better choice than conventional for our real foods journey. I am not presented with the alternative so I don’t hear my wallet screaming at me. This has helped a ton.

As for gardening, we just don’t seem to have a good spot for it. Several years ago I did square foot gardening but our back yard has a lot of afternoon shade and isn’t close to a water spout (don’t ask). A couple years in a row we used the front flower bed as a vegetable garden but it doesn’t end up being the prettiest look on the block.

When we put our house on the market, we decided to invest in a CSA program instead. I loved the CSA program because I was introduced to new fruits and vegetables, was taken out of my comfort zone in cooking and received great fresh produce. After two years with that particular program/farm, I found the system a bit cumbersome, and I was experiencing a lot of waste when I received items which we didn’t care to eat.

This year we found a PERFECT solution! Green B.E.A.N. Ohio. If you live anywhere in or around the Columbus, Dayton, Cincinatti Ohio area you must check them out! What I love about this CSA is that I can choose every week or every other week. I can go in each time I have an order and adjust my order to the produce I want and don’t want. I can upgrade my box or downgrade my box. I can order groceries and meats as well from the various partner vendors. And even greater, I can start or stop it at any time and even choose to pause it while I am on vacation! Amazing! And they don’t require a deposit. I am utterly and totally in love.

Lately, I have also gotten quite a few questions on the cost comparison. I am always quick to indicate that I didn’t sign up for this CSA because I wanted to save money, but rather, I wanted to focus more on organic produce and keep myself away from store choices I feel aren’t as good for me. So the price hasn’t really been a factor for me. But it did get me curious so I decided to do a cost analysis of my most recent produce bin.

The cost of my bin was $35 and I received the following:

I went to my local grocers that carries a variety of organic products and the total for these items there would have come to $24.20. So it looks like for this week at least I would have saved $10 by going to the grocer myself. The other side of that is that this is delivered directly to my home (no dragging my kids out of the house) and I wasn’t faced with tempting choices and I didn’t spontaneously pick up other items I really don’t need. You have to assess whether it is worth it to you though.
If you do find it worth it and are interested in Green B.E.A.N. Ohio they have given me a $15 off your first produce bin code for you. Additionally, if you use my name as a referral (Tricia Callahan) you will send me some love too. Totally up to you. The discount code is OAMM2012. Code good through 4/22/12.
***This discount code is now expired.***
Over all, the strategy of buying organic produce through a CSA and the local farmer’s market has been my best strategy for staying on track. I do still frequent the grocery store but less and less for seasonal produce. It is what works for me.
What strategies are working for you and which strategies do you want to try?

April Get Real:

Please take a moment to thank our guest authors by clicking over to their sites and/or liking them on Facebook and/or Twitter.

Sponsor:  Once A Month Meals
Guest Author: Rachel of Harmonious Homestead

Disclosure: I did not receive compensation from Green B.E.A.N. Ohio, I do however earn a discount on my order if you put my name in. All the opinions in this post are mine.