Written By WENDY HOBDAY HAUGH | Photos by CHUCK AND WENDY HAUGH
[From the 2025 Home & Garden Magazine]
In late May, excitement builds in the Haugh household. It’s time to clear out the refrigerator and get ready for the onslaught: our farm share starts next week! Three years ago, Chuck and I became first-time members of a farm share program at The Johnson Family Farm Store in Northville. What began as a ‘try it and see’ experiment soon turned into an anticipated yearly challenge. For $600 a year, paid in late fall or early winter, we receive roughly 18 weeks of homegrown, organic produce the following summer and a 10% discount on nearly all purchases at the Johnson’s store and eatery (farm-fresh meats excluded).
From the start, Chuck and I opted to divide and conquer. He’d pick up our weekly share, and I’d put everything away (no small feat) and figure out how to use it. The challenge of creatively using a bunch of diverse, fresh produce in a timely manner was daunting—but fun, too!
Farm share programs, also known as Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs), provide a direct link between local farmers and consumers. By allowing people to purchase shares of a farmer’s crop before the crops are actually grown, farmers receive the up-front cash necessary for seed, equipment, and other vital farm expenses. In return, members receive fresh-picked, nutritious foods throughout the upcoming growing season.
Nothing beats farm fresh! Gorgeous flowers sometimes make the list.
I think of my farm share membership as a unique culinary adventure. Hardly a kitchen wizard, I’m content to make even the smallest advancements in my kitchen skills and cooking repertoire. Here are some of the takeaways, great and small, that I’ve gleaned over the past three years.
- Community spirit soars. Nothing beats the sense of satisfaction that comes of banding together with neighbors, known and unknown, to support the efforts of local farming families.
- Nutrition tops appearance. Grown without chemical intervention, organic veggies can appear blemished, imperfect or quirky-looking. But appearance doesn’t impact taste. The more natural, the better.
- Mysteries abound. Through our farm share experience, Chuck and I have been introduced to veggies and herbs we never would have tried on our own. Thankfully, as those two questions inevitably arise—what is it, and what do we do with it?—our friendly Farm Store staff has provided helpful info and cooking tips.
- Simplified shopping. From early June to mid-October, we enjoy a welcomed break from decision-making regarding what fresh vegetables to purchase at the grocery store. For 18 glorious weeks, we just go with the flow, leaving all those decisions to the Johnson family’s farming wisdom and Mother Nature’s whims and wiles.
- Herbal solutions. After struggling to use up bunches of parsley, dill, basil, and fennel, I began baking them on a foil-lined cookie sheet at 170 degrees. Once dried and cooled, I crumble them between my palms and pour them into labeled jars. When cooking with herbs year-round, I fondly recall my summertime routine... from fresh to dried and delicious!
Weekly farm share items are listed on a chalkboard.
6. You probably won’t love everything. After trying cilantro and pole beans numerous times—and realizing we’re just not fans—we either offer them to someone else or refrain from taking them altogether.
7. White beets are the bomb. Although white beets rank lower in nutritional value, I much prefer them to red. No more stained countertops, placemats, and fingers! And if you’re not planning to use beets right away, just remove the edible greens, toss the bulbs in a freezer bag, and pop them in the freezer. When cooked weeks later, they taste just as fresh and delicious as ever. (Many veggies freeze well, so stock up on freezer bags during farm share season.)
8. Drowning in lettuce? Drink up! Frequently overrun with leafy greens, I began tossing them in a Nutribullet with apple or pear, cucumber, and water. A quick and easy way to beef up your produce intake, it’s definitely an acquired taste. Either loved or hated.
9. Baked radishes? Who knew!
I enjoy an occasional tangy radish but my husband doesn’t care for them, so they’d often go to waste. On a whim, I began adding them to stir fries and veggie bakes. Happily, I discovered that their spicy flavor eases nicely when cooked with other veggies. Even Chuck enjoys them this way.
10. Garlic galore. Overstocked with fresh garlic, I started peeling and freezing cloves for future use. During the long winter months, it’s a snap to pull out these ready-to-roll cloves and add them to hearty casseroles, stews, and soups. Summer’s blessing becomes winter’s delight!
Anne-Marie and Brad, owners of the Johnson Family Farm Store in Northville, offer an annual farm share program.
Participating in a farm share program has nudged me out of my culinary comfort zone, brought new foods into my life, prompted me to become a bit more adventurous in the kitchen, and made me more intentional about food in general. These days I keep closer tabs on what’s in my pantry, fridge, and freezer, more aware of that old adage: waste not, want not.
If you’ve never participated in a CSA, why not give one a try? Farm share programs offer a nutritious, educational, and fun experience for people of all ages. In fact, my husband and I give ours a resounding two thumbs up.
To learn more or locate a farm share program near you, check out
www.LocalHarvest.org.