In July, while in California, I was having a conversation with a friend about eating organic and how I loved summer because of the wide variety of fresh produce available locally. She then told me about CSAs or Community Supported Agriculture programs. Say what?... I had no clue what she was talking about --- never heard of such a thing...growing up supporting the local farmers around my home meant patronizing the stand at the end of the driveway. I can not believe growing up in rural (farm-country) Pennsylvania, that I had no clue what a CSA was... thus the reason for this blog!
I am sure that I am not the only one that had no clue what a Community Supported Agriculture program was... so I am here to tell you all about it --- keep reading :-) In the USA, there are approximately two million farms... roughly 80% of those are small farms and are for the majority family owned and operated. We are all aware that the large scale chemical farming that we now see in the USA is damaging the soil and polluting our water, so buying local produce directly from your community farmer can put a dent in this harmful trend. Local Harvest is a great resource to find local organic farmers that participate in CSAs near you! Just plug in your zip code, click search, and the results will appear! There were 24 hits (CSAs) for the Harrisburg area alone and for my family back home in Shickshinny, there are 5 within miles of my house! Ok...so now that you know that there are CSAs available in your community, I bet you are know DYING to know what in the world a CSA is...
Community Supported Agriculture is an opportunity for consumers to purchase local, seasonal foods (vegetables, fruits, farm fresh eggs, grass fed beef, etc.) directly from the local farmer. FarmDirect had the greatest analogy to explain CSAs... "what if, instead of getting a news magazine every week, you got a big box of produce from a farmer down the road, a box of fruits and vegetables picked that very morning, bursting with flavor and nutrition? That's what you get when you subscribe to a CSA." Community Supported Agriculture is known as "subscription farming". Community members purchase a subscription at the beginning of the growing season and in return over the 16 weeks (or so) of the growing season will receive a share of fresh, locally grown produce, farm fresh eggs and meats (as long as your CSA participates in all three). CSAs aren't a new farming concept. They have existed for many years, back to the time when people knew exactly where their food came from, when we only ate foods that were currently and season and we enjoyed it because it was delicious, healthy, and fresh! We all know now that when you visit the Wegmans or Giant, especially in the winter, that those nice bright red tomatoes were picked GREEN, thousands of miles away, weeks before you even stepped foot into the store and were sprayed with ethylene gas to make it turn that bright red before it was perfectly placed on the produce counter! Unfortunate, what we as consumers have gained in convenience having produce at our fingers tips, we have truly lost in flavor, freshness, nutritional value, and the truth of knowing where our food truly comes from. However, when you become a subscribing member to a local CSA you can have FLAVOR, FRESHNESS, NUTRITIONAL VALUE, and KNOW where your produce is coming from ---- what a great deal! From May to October, your share box will be full of fresh fruits and vegetables --- of course it will be full of what is currently "in season"... Don't be alarmed when you don't see that juicy, vine-ripened tomato in May, simply enjoy the luscious lettuce, spinach, and asparagus that is waiting for you to devour! I promise you, in August, your share box will be full of tomatoes that are full of flavor and do not taste like cardboard!
CSAs provide more than just food, they offer ways for consumers to become involved in the ecological and human community that supports the farm.
The best time to join a CSA is at the beginning of the growing season...and since we are roughly four months into the season, many CSAs may no longer be accepting subscriptions for this year... HOWEVER, there are a few farms, especially in the Harrisburg area that have a few memberships still available and will prorate the membership for the final few weeks of the season! However, I suggest that perhaps this year may not be the time to officially become a member... Do your research! Since July, I have been searching for the "right" CSA to join and exploring the ins and outs of membership... So far I learned that:
- There are two types of subscriptions: a full share and a partial share --- for families of four or more a full share will feed you all with fresh produce for the entire week, thus a partial share looks like the route I will be taking next year!
- Check the "greeness" of the local CSA by using Ecovian, a web-based search engine that will give you the percentage of local and organic produce that is grown on a particular farm or CSA in your community.
- Research the CSAs in your community.... many offer different crops throughout the growing season and some seasons are longer than others... I have found that some CSAs in Harrisburg have only an 18-week growing season, while if I drive up the road 10 miles, a CSA in Duncannon has a 24-week growing season with many other added perks such jams, jellies and a weekly brown bag surprise with the weekly share! Use LocalHarvest to find CSAs in your community!
- As previously stated, becoming a member mid season may be difficult, however, some CSAs are still offering prorated memberships for the remainder of the season.
I challenge my readers to do a little more research on CSAs... we can start a revolution to eat REAL food...support REAL farmers...and create a REAL sense of community!!!
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