What exactly is a CSA? And should YOU be involved?

Community Supported Agriculture gives you more power (and more options) than you think...

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Basically, you pay to have a box of local, seasonal vegetables and/or fruit from a local farm every week. Sometimes they are organic, certified organic, sometimes they are not.  Sometimes they include certain extra items such as eggs and you can often pick and choose certain vegetables if there are some you prefer over others. Sometimes the items are delivered to a drop off point or you can pick them up directly at the farm.  There are full shares, half shares and work shares, which means that you can offer hours of work in lieu of partial or full payment.  There are also CSAs that provide land for people to plant and care for their own crops.

Organic, eggs from free range hens can be a great option!

Many times payments are expected before the growing season begins.  This allows the farmers to get supplies, seed, and invest in what they need for the upcoming season.

The great thing is that the items are farm fresh.  The produce can vary wildly and sometimes there are “you pick your own” days during which you can come out and pick your own vegetables or fruits if you choose. 

It can be refreshing to know exactly where your food is coming from, and (if you want to know) what it is being fed, how it is treated and grown.  You can probably walk around and see just how things are done and ask all the questions you like.  What a difference, right?

It is rewarding to support your local farmers.  There are folks who work hard and dig in and grow things the old fashioned way, and try to turn their gardens into something that can help their communities by providing fresh, healthy produce.  Sometimes they need a little help by just having the local folks choose their produce over that which is available in the grocery aisles.  Often it can be better for you.

If you want organic, you get organic.  If you want fresh, you get it.  If you want fresh off the vine, guess what?  You’ve got it.  Also, many CSAs will offer a list of what they offered the previous season, and ask for requests for the coming season.  

It can be fun to cook with the fun surprises that your weekly veggie box provides.  I had never cooked with bok choy until I had joined a CSA.  We made both chicken stir fry and veggie stir fry and learned bok choy is delicious.  I have opened the box and wondered “What am I looking at?” and had adventures in the kitchen making kohlrabi fritters (fantastic!) but most CSAs will provide a list of what to expect in your box each week.

The downsides include that it is a side trip to the grocery store.  Also, these are regional, seasonal vegetables.  So, if you live in Maryland, you are probably not going to be enjoying oranges in June.  However, greens of many varieties are plentiful in mid-June and a myriad of peppers are around in mid-October.  So, yes you will have to supplement your box of vegetables if what you want to eat isn’t in season regionally. 

Seasons can be extended with greenhouses.  Also, if your farmer is adventurous they may offer interesting vegetables and fruit that are less than common in your area.

Prices can vary but generally range from $15 to $30 a week.  I loved it, to be honest.  And it was a learning experience for me. Now I run my own CSA and encourage folks to try it out for themselves, at a half share to start if they aren’t sure about it.

We offer culinary herbs, such as fresh basil,
with our CSA full share packages.

Our CSA season begins in mid June and runs through mid October (about 18 weeks).  Last season we grew lettuces (including buttercrunch and merlot), mustard greens, collards, kale, spinach, cabbage, Swiss chard, beets, carrots, garlic, onions, Cherokee tomatoes, several other varieties of heirloom tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, two types of heirloom sweet corn, red and green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, scotch bonnet peppers, cayenne peppers, tomatillos, black beans, green beans, heirloom dragon tongue beans, cucumbers, yellow squash, zucchini, two kinds of okra, pumpkins, strawberries, wineberries, watermelon, blackberries, and more.   We also grow a full range of herbs, both medicinal and culinary (culinary are included in our CSA full share package, if requested).  We have organic, hormone free, antibiotic free, eggs from free range hens as well that can be included in the package.  This year we are expanding our produce options.  Our produce is grown organically (though we are not certified).

We so enjoy working the gardens, and hope to have some new folks to feed this season! I hope you’ll consider giving a CSA near you a try, and support your local farmers!

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Be sure to check out our other blog at Ida Mae!