Need input: Community Supported Agriculture

[Susan]

My family is considering becoming a member of a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm. I was wondering if anyone else does this and what your experience has been. Thanks in advance for your input!

~~Susan~~

For anyone who is interested in more info on CSA, check out this web site: http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/csa/

[gertdog]

Susan,

I was a member of a CSA for three seasons here in Ithaca.

The first year I split a share with a friend. Each week we went to pick up our share of whatever had been harvested. At the pick-up site there was a "trade-in bin" where you could leave items you didn't want, and take items other people had left if you wanted those. That CSA farm did mostly veggies, no fruit. We got an awful lot of mizuna that year... it seemed like mostly greens and not a lot else.

The second two years SO and I had a share in a smaller family-run CSA (50 members). It was a working share... putting in 10 hours over the course of the summer basically got us a $100 discount on the price of our share. Work included mostly planting and weeding with other members. It was fun... I never thought I would find myself out in a field picking worms and beetles off plants, but I enjoyed it because those were *my* tomatoes I was protecting! This CSA did a great variety of veggies and fruits, everything from mixed lettuces to broccoli to peppers to potatoes to corn and winter squash, plus cherries, peaches, blueberries, strawberries, etc. It was so exciting every week to see what was ready to harvest! The first year was a drought year so some veggies didn't make it, but we had piles of wonderful heirloom variety tomatoes for weeks and weeks. The second year was incredibly wet, so the eggplant and peppers didn't do so well, but other things flourished.

The farm owners were friendly and fun... they shared recipes with us and held a number of special events on the farm so we could meet other shareholders... picnics, hayrides, a special children's gardening day, etc.

So, as I see it, the pros are: you get to feel a nice connection to your food and your community, get fresh (usually organic) produce right after it's been picked, try new things etc. The one big con is that if it's a bad growing year for some reason (drought or deer eating things or whatever), the quality of your produce may suffer; if it's a good year, you get way more than you paid for! Once you pay for your share, you're in for better or for worse.

The only reason we didn't join again this year is that we're moving midsummer and so would miss most of the season.

Hope this helps... it's definitely an experience I would recommend.

[jazzyjas]

Susan -
I have been involved in a CSA for 4 years in Vermont and then last year here in VA and will be participating again this year. I love the concept -- the fresh vegetables, getting things you may not normally cook, having contact with the people growing my food (I am a failed gardener). Some farms are better then others -- In VA I have not been as pleased with the quality of the produce but this farmer is fairly new to the concept. I will probably look into a different farm next year but being so close to DC limits me somewhat -- the farms are not that close. Despite my present experiences, I highly recommended getting involved in a CSA and have remained involved myself. If you have any specific questions feel free to ask

Jas

[LGBurns]

My husband and I are planning on rejoining a CSA we belonged to a couple years ago. I highly recommend getting involved in a CSA farm. I agree with the pros and cons already listed. I suggest finding out about a farm from some of the shareholders before buying a share. Also, if you can try comparing several farms. Our farm (Angelic Organics in IL) has been around for many years as a CSA, has been organic since the early 80s, and has been in the same family since the farm was first settled back in the 19th century. For this reason, I think the yields are particularly abundant. Also, they have open houses several times a year that allow you to see how they do things, and you are welcome (although not required) to volunteer your time working on the farm. The only other "con" not already mentioned is that you can end up eating a lot of a particular vegetable (the last year we belonged, we had cabbage and beets for weeks on end) which can get a little old after a while. But I definitely think it's worth it. And you can always freeze those things for later when they are harder to get.

[Susan]

Oh, thank you all for your informative posts!!! I especially appreciate the pros and cons. I am excited at the prospect of membership in a CSA but know we have to check into a few things first. We are hoping to go to visit the farm this weekend and ask lots of questions. We already know a bit (organic, mostly veggies, a bit of its history) but have more "digging" http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif to do! I appreciate all your input and will get back to you with further questions as I think of them. Thank you!

~~Susan~~