Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

With the weather warming up, I can’t help but dream about fresh fruits and vegetables!  The tartness of a freshly picked strawberry and the crispness of a green bean right off the vine… MMMMMMMMM…..  CSA is one way to guarantee we get fresh veggies weekly/biweekly from a farmer we trust…

CSA is a fairly new idea to me… I have known about it for about 3 or 4 years and think the concept is amazing…  Here are the basics…  A farmer offers a certain number of “shares” to the public of their farm.  Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included.  Interested consumers purchase a share (membership) and in return receive a box of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.   I have had several friends suggest several different farms, each offering something different.  I’ve heard amazing things and even some complaints.  The complaints mostly are that you get a lot of “one” kind of veggie and maybe don’t care for it or don’t know what to do with it… Some of the farms allow you to come out for a “tour” and even have special events for kids during the season…  If you think you might be interested in CSA, here is a link to a website where you can type in your zip code and get a list of local farms that might service your area.  You can also choose what kind of produce/dairy you would like to purchase…

http://www.localharvest.org/

I was talking to some friends about CSA at church last night and we were all saying how great of an idea CSA is BUT how much we LOVED the farmer’s market…  I am not sure if CSA cuts into my Farmer’s Market purchases or not, but I know it will not cut into my FM visits… I love going to the market!  I am hoping that the FM supplements my CSA purchases!