Community Supported Agriculture is an option for your family.

What is CSA?

CSA is an acronym for Community Supported Agriculture. CSAs offer "the food buying public" (that's us) an opportunity to build relationships with local farms. Many farms offer programs where we can purchase weekly baskets (or boxes) of ripe, fresh, locally grown, and usually organic, produce. Most produce bought in store are picked green and ripen in route to the store. People have the opportunity to taste vine-ripened produce that are chemical-free (in most cases).

Most require a financial commitment up-front to secure your "share." It is a subscription, and commitment, to the farm you choose to work with. Some farms also require their "shareholders" or "subscribers" to help out some on the farm, as well. In essence, you become a part of a community farm.

Another added benefit of committing to a CSA program is that you get to know where your food came from. You get to know their families and see who is picking your food each week. You have the opportunity to learn more about farming, what it entails and how it works to farm with a family (as most are family-run farms).

Most CSA seasons last from late spring into the early fall, but some also have extended shares that go on into the winter. In the past 18 years the estimated number of CSAs in the U.S. have grown from a mere 50 to more than 1,000.

Over the next few weeks we will be talking about how to choose the right CSA for your family and more of the great benefits of deciding to participate in your local Community Supported Agriculture.

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