I was skeptical the first time I heard of the Out On A Limb apple CSA (there was a tomato CSA that raised my eyebrows too). I figured there was no way I'd ever be able to eat enough apples to make it worth it - I struggle with my veggie CSA share, which I split with 3 people, and that's only one of a bunch of different vegetables.
But in the spring, SK of Delicious Musings asked me and ST of Edible Obsessions if we were interested in splitting a share, mediating my fears of being buried by uneaten apples.
The idea behind the Out On A Limb CSA is really cool. The apples are from Super Chilly Farms in Palermo, the home of John Bunker and Cammy Watts who are committed to preserving rare apple varieties in their organic orchard. The CSA, like most models, requires money up front (we paid about $40 each in March), which allows the farmers some upfront capital for the growing season.
This week was the first of five biweekly deliveries and pictured below is a third of the share.
An online newsletter provides great stories about the history of each variety, recommended uses, and recipes (apparently there's a great apple brownie recipe out there somewhere).
This week's share included five varieties (counterclockwise from upper left): Duchess of Oldenberg, Zestar, Gravenstein, Milton, and Garden Royal (middle). Two varieties are good for fresh eating, the other 3 recommended for baking. Other than mistakenly giving my boyfriend a pie apple and taking a fresh eating one for myself, I haven't made any moves with them yet.
The apples have joined with several pounds of peaches to create a conglomerate of fruit that feels like it's disappointed in me every time I look in the fridge. Let the fruit guilt begin!