Food Community Supported Agriculture
Resources To Help With Immediate Hunger - Food Community Supported Agriculture or CSA (for short)
SA describes a long-term economic arrangement between farmers and eaters that cuts out the middlemen.
How Does This Work?
CSA members pay the farmer before the growing season begins, thus providing working capital for the farm. In turn, the farmer provides members with weekly produce representing a share of the harvest throughout the growing season.
A CSA, which stands for Community Supported Agriculture, matches small farms directly with customers who want fresh, seasonal food.
According to LocalHarvest.org, an online community for CSA farmers and customers, this approach to eating locally has been growing in popularity over the past two decades—just as consumers have become increasingly interested in organic produce and minimally processed foods.
A CSA takes what you eat, quite literally, from farm to table.
Since many CSA operators also participate in farmers markets (which wind down in the fall), late summer or early fall is the perfect time to visit vendors and inquire about their programs. Growers typically solicit subscribers during the winter months so they can plan and purchase seed according to demand. And some farmers offer fall programs—a perfect time to sample what CSAs are all about.
How CSAs Work…As Easy As 1 & 2
1. A small farm sells shares in its harvest to local customers. For a subscription fee that can vary depending on duration and quantity, a buyer can sign up to receive regular deliveries of fresh, seasonal produce.
2. The farmer arranges a regular schedule where customers can pick up a package of newly harvested goods. Sometimes farmers even deliver packages—this typically coincides with a grower’s participation in local farmers markets.
How much food you get from a CSA can range from a family-sized box of veggies delivered weekly throughout the entire growing season to smaller portions for one or two people, or shorter options that provide four weeks’ worth of fall greens.
Some CSAs involve only a subscription fee, while others invite (or require) buyers to contribute “sweat equity” in the form of a few hours of labor on the farm each season.
Joining a CSA is a culinary adventure—one best started with the expectation that you and your family will be offered the chance to try new foods. Before you sign up, ask the grower to describe typical spring, summer and fall deliveries to gauge what you’ll be receiving seasonally.
“We have been exposed to a lot of things we otherwise probably never would buy at a grocery store,” says Theresa Ryan, a Cincinnati graphic designer who is a member of a Kentucky-based CSA. “Okra, kohlrabi, Swiss chard, and lots of different squashes like acorn, butternut and spaghetti.”
Explore New Ingredients
Many CSA farmers send out weekly emails or blog posts to inform customers about the contents of each new shipment. Some CSA farmers also share recipes for preparing the goodies. Los Angeles writer Alissa Walker raves about the inspiration provided by her CSA. “I really like the challenge of having specific produce to work with when preparing meals, and I love going online and finding new and unusual recipes,” Walker says.
“Just in the last few weeks I’ve made ratatouille, lasagna with kale and chard, mashed potatoes with dandelion greens, butternut squash soup, vegetable soup, orange sherbet, watermelon and feta salad, cantaloupe and prosciutto, corn and tomato salad. And the salads we eat every day for lunch have become more colorful and unusual.”
The CSA Directory lists farm or network/association of multiple farms that offer consumers regular (usually weekly) deliveries of locally-grown farm products during one or more harvest season(s) on a subscription or membership basis.
Customers have access to a selected share or range of farm products offered by a single farm or group of farmers based on partial or total advance payment of a subscription or membership fee.
The LocalHarvest National DirectoryOur directory lists over 30,000 family farms and farmers markets, along with restaurants and grocery stores that feature local food.
We call it a ‘grassroots’ directory because each member creates and maintains their own listing. Every year, over 7 million people search our directory to find local food, farm events, and family farmer-grown specialty products.
Eatwild was founded in 2001. Its mission was to promote the benefits—to consumers, farmers, animals, and the planet—of choosing meat, eggs, and dairy products from 100% grass-fed animals or other non-ruminant animals fed their natural diets.
Eatwild is now the #1 clearinghouse for information about pasture-based farming and features a state-by-state directory of local farmers who sell directly to consumers.
EatWild