Allie’s Answers

I just got a notice from our local organic farm reminding me to sign up for their CSA program again this year. I’m so excited that it’s getting close to that time again! I talked about CSA’s a lot last year, but if you’re new to the site or just want a refresher course on what a CSA is and why they’re a great green option, keep reading.

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and is also sometimes referred to as a farm share.

From Local Harvest:

A CSA, (for Community Supported Agriculture) is a way for the food buying public to create a relationship with a farm and to receive a weekly basket of produce. By making a financial commitment to a farm, people become “members” (or “shareholders,” or “subscribers”) of the CSA. Most CSA farmers prefer that members pay for the season up-front, but some farmers will accept weekly or monthly payments. Some CSAs also require that members work a small number of hours on the farm during the growing season.

Our CSA is super easy. We pay a fee upfront in the spring and get a bag of organic vegetable at our local drop off spot every week from May through November. The fee is equivalent to what I’d normally spend on three weeks of groceries in the winter, we don’t do any labor on the farm, and even get a discount for paying before April, so it’s a great deal. Last year, from May to November, my grocery bills were cut in half.

The variety of vegetables we get revolves around what’s ready to harvest that week. We don’t have a say in what goes in our bag, but it’s pushed us to try foods I never would have thought to purchase otherwise. I make a killer beet salad now.

Last year, we got more vegetables than we knew what to do with. But this year, I have a plan of attack for food storage and getting year round food out of seven months of produce. And for the active CSA months, it will be so nice to go back to eating veggies that were picked the day before they got to our house. The difference in taste is so obvious.

If the idea of getting your hands dirty and seeing where your food comes from on a more intimate level appeals to you, plenty of CSA options allow you to participate in farming to work off part of your fee.

It’s a wonderful way to support local agriculture, reduce your food miles, feed your family fresh, healthy food, and save money.

Click here to find a CSA in your area.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 17th, 2008 at 4:28 pm and is filed under Food, Tip of the Day. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.