This Week’s LUCSA Box

For Box Delivery: 4/8, 4/9, 4/10 - 2026

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Fresh Produce:

Lemon Rice Soup

Spinach

Potatoes

Lettuce Mix or Microgreens

Beets

Apples

Weekly Staples:

Sputnik Coffee Beans
Mushrooms
Bread
Eggs

Jump to Share Contents List

Any share changes must be submitted to lucsa@theurbancanopy.org by Monday at 11AM

Weekly Add-Ons

Add locally-sourced food and home goods to your box to round out your CSA delivery. Add-ons save trips to the grocery store and allow you to get more of what you want conveniently delivered inside your LUCSA share.

Access the Add-On Shop through our member portal.

Member Add-On Shop

This Week in the Shop:

On Sale!

  • Upton’s Naturals: Seitan - Traditional — On Sale! $2.50

  • RMBR Kombucha - Hibiscus Punch — On Sale! $2.50

  • Beeler’s - Bacon — On Sale! $7.50

  • Middlebrow Beer - Light Lager — On Sale $3.50

  • Rishi Sparkling Botanicals - Elderberry Maqui — On Sale! $2.50

New to the shop!

  • PremOla Granola - Roasted Nut Blend

  • PremOla Granola - Sea Salt Pecan Blend

    Restock Alert!

  • Prairie Fruits - Chevre

  • Bridgeport Coffee - Whole Bean

  • UC - Wheatgrass

  • Whirlwind - Cold Brew

*Reminder: Add-Ons must be ordered by Monday at 11AM

Item Feature:
Rolled Oats

Rolled oats are a pantry staple you’ll see in this week’s share! Made from whole oat groats that are steamed and flattened, they cook quickly while retaining a hearty texture. Perfect for warm oatmeal, overnight oats, baking, or even savory dishes, they’re a versatile and nourishing addition to your kitchen.

Item Feature:
Lemon & Rice Soup

We got excited about making a soup that would showcase the amazing Illinois gown rice we get to enjoy and the amazing flavors of our preserved lemons. The depth of preserved lemons is special and something we really love sharing with people. They give so much flavor. We really hope people have enjoyed soup season and been excited about the jars coming out of the Urban Canopy Processing Kitchen. 

Ingredients:
Cahokia Illinois Long Grain White Rice, Vegetable Stock (Carrots, Celery, Onions), Carrots, Garlic, Onions, Preserved Lemons, Salt

Share Contents

Refer back to this page for updated share contents to help you identify produce.

Weekly Staples:

Beverage

Coffee Beans - Sputnik Roasters (Back of the Yards, Chicago, IL)

Storage Tip - Coffee beans should be stored in an air-tight and opaque container to avoid light and oxygen. Coffee beans are best used within a month of the roast date. They can be stored in the freezer for up to 4 months.

Bread

Wednesday: Ciabatta ‍ ‍Publican Quality Bread (Fulton Market, Chicago, IL)

Thursday: Harvest Square (multigrain)‍ ‍FranHer Bakery (Pilsen, Chicago, IL)

Friday: Italian Bread ‍D’Amato’s Bakery & Subs (West Town, Chicago, IL)

Storage Tip - Keep your bread cut side down in a bag on your counter for two to three days. At that point you will want to slice or rip/cut your bread into pieces and freeze for future toast, croutons, or panzanella! If it’s particularly hot, you may want to move it to the refrigerator after a day or two (the only time we will tell you to refrigerate bread).

Mushrooms

Wednesday: Portabello ‍ ‍River Valley Ranch (Burlington, WI)

Thursday: Lions Mane ‍ ‍Windy City Mushrooms (Humboldt Park, Chicago, IL)

Friday: Portabello ‍ ‍River Valley Ranch (Burlington, WI)

Storage Tip - Open the paper bag to reduce moisture, and keep mushrooms out of plastic. Smoke, dehydrate, or par-cook and freeze for longer storage.

Eggs‍ ‍

Pastured Eggs - Finn's Ranch (Buchanan, MI)

Storage Tip - You can freeze your eggs to make them last longer. Crack and scramble in a container, or crack whole into oiled muffin tins, and keep frozen for up to 6 months.

This Week’s Fresh Produce:

Lemon Rice Soup - The Urban Canopy(Garfield Park, Chicago, IL) - for Processing
Storage Tip - Frozen items should be kept frozen until you want to use them. Once defrosted, they should be kept in the refrigerator and used within 7 days. Since they have not been processed, the button on the lid will not be compressed and the lids will not pop when opened. To defrost items in frozen glass jars, either leave in the fridge overnight to use the following day or you can thaw faster in a bath of room temperature water. Do not use hot water since it can cause the glass to break. You can increase the temperature of the water as the glass warms. 

Lettuce Mix or Microgreens - Enhanced Earth Farming (Streamwood IL), Artesian Farms (New Buffalo, MI), Black Earth Valley Produce (Black Earth, WI)
Storage Tip - Store in a plastic container or bag with a paper towel covering them for up to a week in the fridge.

Spinach - Black Earth Valley Produce (Black Earth, WI)
Storage Tip - Store in a plastic container or bag with a paper towel covering them for up to a week in the fridge.

Beets - Happy Valley Farm (Black Earth, WI)
Storage Tip - Keep the roots dry and tightly sealed in a bag in the crisper for up to a month. Greens should be used within 2 days.

Apples - Mick Klug Farm (St. Joseph, MI)
Storage Tip - Keep at a consistent temperature on the counter for up to a week, or in the crisper for up to a month.

Potatoes - Happy Valley Farm (Black Earth, WI)
Storage Tip - Keep cool, dry and out of direct light, on your counter, in a cupboard or in a perforated paper bag for up to 6 months.

Substitutions

Items for those already opting out of beverage, bread, mushrooms, or eggs OR having a conflicting allergy; subject to change, even if specified. Please refer back to this newsletter throughout the week for updates

Green Onions - Garden Gate Farm (Fairbury, IL)
Storage Tip - Stand upright in an inch of water in a jar or glass, cover tips with a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator. Change the water if it starts to discolor.

Watermelon Radish - Frillman Farms (Berrien Springs, MI)
Storage Tip - Keep very dry stored in a perforated bag in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Parsnips - Frillman Farms (Berrien Springs, MI)
Storage Tip - Keep in a plastic bag in the crisper for up to a few weeks.

Black Beans - Carlson-Arbogast Farms (Howard CIty, MI)
Storage Tip - Store beans in a reusable container or plastic bag in a cool, dry place.

*Farming is never 100% Predictable

Please keep in mind that share contents may vary due to market availability so contents may vary slightly from this list. We appreciate your flexibility.

Pro-Tip for Produce Longevity

When your share arrives, immediately unpack your produce and move into proper storage containers!

Always Wash Before Eating

As a general best practice with all produce including ours, we recommend washing produce before eating.

Please Remember to Save and Return LUCSA Packaging

We request that you return your wax box and Finn’s Ranch egg cartons during your next delivery. Help practice sustainability by helping us re-use all of these items for future deliveries.

Recipes

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Recipes 〰️

Pasta with Parsnips & Bacon

Recipes

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Recipes 〰️

For more recipe ideas, follow us on Instagram

Our recipe reels provide additional information on how to use produce and processing items each week!

We have created a handy Produce Guide which includes most items you will be getting in your box this season and through out the year. It is helpful for identification and has lots of storage tips, and also includes a log of recipes. It’s not a bad idea to bookmark this page!

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View Produce Guide

Previous Boxes

If you missed a week and want to see what was in a previous share, we archive a PDF of all our previous newsletters here.

You can also use it to look at previous seasons if you are interested to see what crops are coming.

View Archive