Community Supported Agriculture

If you are like me, you hate going to the grocery store to wander the produce section, stare at the high prices, wish you could afford organic, pick your produce from the bin, look at the pile of plastic bags you just put everything in (what a waste!), then go wait in line with people who are not happy, yelling at their kids, shooting mean looks at anyone who is taking too long, etc.

The desire to buy local, organic, fresh produce has really been pulling me for a long time. When I learned about CSA's, I was so excited! A CSA is basically a subscription to receive produce or other goods on a regular basis from (small, family-owned) farms. It allows people to form a relationship with their food and to actually know where it comes from (what a novel idea). To me, it's the next best thing to farming it myself. The produce could be organic or include heirloom or unique varieties of foods. By buying into a CSA, you are also supporting a local business.

Although I am sure I will still do my time standing in line at the grocery store to buy food that comes from the far reaches of the earth and is trucked in by gasoline guzzling refrigerated trucks, I feel like I am making a small difference by purchasing from a CSA.

Lo and behold when Rachael found a farm that is starting their CSA this year for the first time! The best part is they are only 2 miles from our house, so we can go pick up our weekly produce very conveniently. We actually already drive down there sometimes to buy veggies so this is a great way to not only support them, but also to guarantee a variety of veggies and fruits (and other yummies) on a weekly basis all summer. Check out the farm here.

You can also see if there is a CSA in your area here.