Help, we're trapped in our CSA box!

A couple of months ago, Sweetie and I started getting a CSA box (community supported agriculture, for everyone who doesn't read stuff like The Omnivore's Dilemma). He always wanted to get one, and I've always been curious about them myself (since I think of myself as a person who would do something like subscribe to a CSA box). People I know who get them rave about them - the quality of the produce, plus the fact that you're challenged to find ways to use some vegetables that you've never even heard of before and wouldn't think to buy for yourself.

Anyway, we discovered a new-ish cafe in the Marina that serves excellent salads and sandwiches, and lo and behold, when we found out that they did a CSA box service, we signed right up. It comes every other Wednesday. Unlike other CSA programs, they don't deliver to your home - you have to go to the restaurant to pick it up. And that was totally fine with us - I think we secretly love going to the Marina because we get to take that lovely shortcut through the Presidio.

We were thrilled with our first box. It came with the loveliest flowers, which we never expected.

Our enthusiasm kept up for the next few boxes. But then, the novelty wore off and we found that maybe we don't need a bi-weekly CSA box. The produce is fine, but Sweetie LOVES going to Farmer's Markets - he's at one right now - so sometimes we just have more food than we need or can use. I'm not sure about our usage rate of the boxes we've been getting - what we use vs. what we toss - because I confess, I do think of it as "his" box, so I rarely do anything with the veggies myself (though he'd be thrilled if I did). So maybe a CSA box isn't for us right now, especially on a regular basis.

The problem? The woman who runs the cafe is SO nice and sweet to us, we don't have the heart to quit. After our recent box pick-up I found myself suggesting all these excuses ("Tell her that we're going to be out of town a lot!") that we could give her for quitting. We just feel guilty for some reason. This totally feels like it could be the plot of one of those Seinfeld re-runs that I've started watching again - us giving her some madcap excuse, getting caught, and then ending up being banned from the cafe for life: "No Chinese Chicken Salad for you!".

I'm sure we'll find a way to break it to her gently. Until then, I guess we're just going to have to keep eating our veggies.