What is a CSA Anyway?   

  1. CSA or Community Supported Agriculture is like having a subscription to whatever a farm is growing. We happen to offer vegetable, fruit, egg and chicken CSA memberships, but farms all over the country offer different options to their customers.


  2. Throughout the summer, people who’ve become members come to a pre-determined distribution location to pick up their farm allotment either weekly or on alternating weeks. There are different sized shares and different types of shares to accommodate different family sizes and needs.


  3. What are the benefits of CSA?

  4. Bullet Save some money. Paying for the share in advance allows you to lock-in a price for your veggies all summer long, thus if there is a sudden spike in food prices, you have nothing to worry about. Plus, members often comment on reduced trips to the grocery store and the farmers market.

  5. Bullet Increase your veggie consumption. We don’t like to say that it forces people to eat more vegetables, but members often experience a greater variety and quantity of vegetables than they had previously. While we can’t claim that being a CSA member directly improves your health, we don’t think it could hurt to have more fresh food in your life.

  6. Bullet Learn and experience. Learning about different types of vegetables and seasonality is only one facet of CSA; but it is an experience that will affect your food choices for life. CSA members also have the opportunity to visit the farm!

  7. Bullet Support local farmers and the local food economy. We employ local people and spend our money locally, so when you invest in CSA you invest in your community and send a message that local food is important to you.

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  9. CSA Philosophy

  10. CSA is ultimately thought of as a partnership between farmers and consumers. The core philosophy of CSA is to connect you not only to your food, but to the land and the people who tend to it. Besides providing fresh vegetables to your family, the CSA provides the non-farmer with a better understanding of the challenges and rewards of farming, in which members also share. The CSA model has also provided farmers all over the country with the ability to make a living from their farming efforts. Since revenue comes into the farm when little is growing and markets are mostly closed, farmers are able to focus on their farm, order their supplies and seeds and not worry about how to survive through the winter months.



  11. Why is Our CSA Different from Other CSAs?

  12. Traditionally, CSAs have their members take a box of pre-packed vegetables, filled with whatever the farm has in abundance. While this option provides for a faster pick-up, you lose the ability to choose which vegetables you receive.
  13.    Instead, we’ve chosen a Farmers Market style distribution. This enables members to choose the vegetables they’d like to take home out of a large assortment.

   Shareholders also receive a weekly e-mail to remind you of the upcoming distribution. The email contains farm updates along with what to expect at distribution and a few recipes and tips on how to use your share.


Here’s What Happens at our Distributions:

  1.     After you’ve checked in with the farmer-in-charge, just look for a large sign telling you how many “items” to choose in total. On each type of vegetable there will be instructions for Standard and Large shares. Just pick out the vegetables you want, counting how many items you’ve accrued and you’re done! The first few times can be confusing, but we’re there to help you.


If you’d like to become a 2012 member, please go to our “Become a Member” page. Sign-up ends April 2012.

 

Photo by Laurie Rapp