January 2010
I’ve been talking a lot about our “CSA” to friends and family recently and often they don’t know what I’m talking about. Well, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture and the idea behind the program is to provide a way for consumers to buy local, seasonal and organic food directly from a farm. A farmer offers a certain number of “shares” to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included as well. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a “membership” or “subscription”) and in return receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce each week (or at other specified intervals) throughout the farming season.
This arrangement creates several rewards for both the farms and the consumers:
Advantages for farmers:
* Spend time marketing food early in the year, before their 16 hour days in the field begin
* Receive payment early in the season, which helps with the farm’s cash flow
* Have an opportunity to get to know the people who eat the food they grow
Advantages for consumers:
* Eat ultra-fresh food, with all the flavor and vitamin benefits
* Get exposed to new vegetables and new ways of cooking
* Usually get to visit the farm at least once a season
* Kids enjoy food from “their” farm – even veggies they’ve never been known to eat
* Develop a relationship with the farmer who grows their food and learn more about how food is grown
It’s a simple enough idea, but its impact has been profound. Tens of thousands of families have joined CSAs, and in some areas of the country there is more demand than there are CSA farms to fill it.
The CSA that Noel and I joined delivers weekly to our local Farmer’s Market in Mar Vista just down the street from where we live. We get ours every 2 weeks and it’s always a joy to open the box and see all the luscious organic produce. It has even introduced me to vegetables and fruits I’ve never eaten before. Our CSA farm “JR Organics” has a fantastic website that even offers recipes for a lot of the items they put in their boxes.
To learn more or to sign up, visit www.localharvest.org and use your zipcode to locate CSAs that deliver to your neighborhood.
