This Sunday, I picked up our first basket from Garden of Eden CSA. Garden of Eden is a co-op of small farms, so the variety of organic fruit and vegetables we receive is much wider than in a typical one-farm CSA. This week we got oranges, cherries, strawberries, apriums, avocados, carrots, onions, mixed salad greens, mint, basil, kale, broccoli greens, beets, and italian zucchini. Wow, the food looks so beautiful, and the strawberries are amazingly sweet!
What, you may ask, is a CSA? Over the last 20 years, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has become an increasingly popular way for consumers to buy local, often organic, seasonal food directly from a farmer. In a CSA, a farmer offers “shares” to the public. Interested buyers purchase a share, becoming CSA members, and in return receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.
This arrangement has many advantages for both the farmer and the buyer.
Advantages for farmers:
- Get to market the food early in the year, before the 16 hour days in the field begin
- Receive payment early in the season, which helps with the farm’s cash flow
- Have an opportunity to get to know the people who eat the food they grow
Advantages for buyers:
- Eat ultra-fresh, local food, with maximum flavor and vitamins
- Often lower cost for organic produce than at Whole Paycheck
- Get exposed to new vegetables and new ways of cooking
- Usually get to visit the farm at least once a season
- Develop a relationship with the farmer who grows their food and learn more about how food is grown
CSAs aren’t confined to produce. Some farmers include the option for shareholders to buy shares of eggs, jam, homemade bread, meat, cheese, flowers or other farm products along with their veggies. Sometimes, like Garden of Eden, several farmers will offer their products together, to offer the widest variety to their members.
There is an important concept woven into the CSA model that makes it a little different from the usual commercial transaction. That is the notion of shared risk. Shared risk is often part of what creates a sense of community among members, and between members and the farmers. If a hailstorm takes out all the squash, everyone is disappointed together, and together rally for the tomatoes and peppers.
Most CSA farmers feel a great sense of responsibility to their members, and when certain crops are scarce, they make sure the CSA gets served first. Still, it is worth noting that very occasionally things go wrong on a farm—like they do in any kind of business. If this potential makes you feel anxious, then the shared risk of a CSA may not be for you, and you should shop at the farmers’ market.
CSA is a simple enough idea, but its impact has been profound. Tens of thousands of families across the U.S. have joined CSAs. In some areas of the country, there is more demand than there are CSA farms to fill it. If CSA sounds like an ideal way to enjoy local, fresh produce, then LocalHarvest has the most comprehensive directory of CSA farms, with over 2,500 listed in their database, so you can easily find a CSA near you.
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