CSA Prep Time: Everything You Need for the Produce Season

These are a few of the things I've found to be quite handy in regard to managing a CSA share:

• A salad spinner, like this one from Bed, Bath & Beyond.
  
• One or two sharp all-purposes knives. I bought mine from Amazon.com and sharpened it for the first time at Sur la Table, but was also tempted to try Sharpening on Site.
• Rectangular plastic storage containers, like these from Ziploc. These are great to store veggies before you get the chance to chop them up.
  
• Wax pencils or scraps of paper & tape to label food storage containers. (Naming & dating is essential to prevent rotting!)
  
• Lots of small storage containers. I often use old yogurt & cottage cheese containers. These fit just about everything once it's chopped, from kale to cucumber.
  
• Non-perishable staples such as olive oil, grains, pastas, dressings, etc. These are nice to have around when you need to whip something up quick (especially if you're worried that it's moments away from going bad.)
  
• How to Cook Everything Vegetarian cookbook by Mark Bittman. Everything you need to know about storing and preparing veggies. Even tells you which parts of the veggie are edible, which is good when working with produce for the first time. Seriously, who looked at the first kohlrabi and thought, "Yup, I'd eat that." I heart this book.
  

Welcome to the 2011 CSA season!

Note: I have switched CSA's this year. I was happy with Sippel Family Farm, but they stopped offering pickup on Saturdays, which was most convenient for my schedule, so I'm trying Wayward Seed Farm. I'll let you know how it goes!