a season of veggies {worden farm}

Can I just tell you how thrilled am today to receive my first box of fresh vegetables from Worden Farm?

The season actually started last week but since we were gone our first box had to go to good home.  This week, however, I am all about the veggies and so, soooo excited!  And can I just say, Holy Gigantic Box of Vegetables, Batman!  For the next 19 weeks, we are going to FEAST on veggies!

One of the most common questions I get from readers who are trying to save money with coupons is about how to save money on produce.  Last year we tried growing our own, to less-than-stellar results.

This year we decided to try something new.  I had heard about Worden Farm, a local organic family farm, from a few local readers and some friends as well.  When I first looked into it, I thought spending $600 for 20 weeks worth of produce seemed a little pricey, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how reasonable it really was.  I normally spend around $2o a week on produce at the grocery store or farmer’s market for far fewer (and far less fresh) items.

I figured that while I may be spending a little more up front, the investment would pay off in terms of needing fewer groceries, eating healthier, and having a bigger variety in our somewhat boring diet.  It is easy to get into a food rut, especially when you have kids, and I am hoping that being forced to work with new veggies–some of which I’ve never even heard of before–will open up a whole new world of food to my family!

This week for instance, our box includes a mysterious vegetable called Kohlrabi, as well as Fennel and Bok Choy, all things I have never tried before, much less cooked.  Luckily for me, the Worden Farm website has a TON of recipes, handily sorted by vegetable, which makes using these new vegetables a lot less intimidating.

This is the Kohlrabi recipe I’m planning to try today:

Kohlrabi Parmesan

Adapted from Farm-Fresh Recipes by Janet Majure.

3 medium kohlrabi, trimmed of stalks and leaves
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp minced parsley1.  Peel kohlrabi 1/8-inch deep.  Shred with grater or food processor.

2.  Cook kohlrabi in butter over medium heat, stirring often, until 
tender, about 8 minutes.

3.  Sprinkle with the cheese, salt and pepper.  Toss and cook just until 
the cheese melts; about 1 minute.

4.  Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

I chose the pre-selected box option just because I wanted to be forced to try some new things & get a little creativity back in the kitchen (& hopefully bring you guys some new recipes!) but you can also go directly to the farm and select your own vegetables each week instead.    Worden Farm has a ton of cool gardening classes & vegetable workshops available too, so I am hoping to take advantage of those as well & hopefully learn some new techniques for both growing and cooking vegetables!

A Worden Farm Membership starts at $400 a season for a half box or $600 a season for a full box.  The boxes have a ton of vegetables, so if your family is small you might want to consider sharing with another family.  In Southwest Florida, Worden Farm offers membership options as far north as St. Petersburg and as far south as Naples!  Those of you in other parts of the country can check out LocalHarvest.org to find farm membership options near you!

This is a sponsored post, written by me on behalf of Worden Farm.  The opinions expressed are entirely my own.  For more information, read my full disclosure policy here.