Have you ever tried a community supported agriculture? You may not even know what it is. A community supported agriculture (“CSA”) is a community supported agriculture. Basically, it’s buying straight from your local farmer. Depending on the CSA, you get a selection of produce that’s grown on the farm each week (or every other week) and the best part is that it’s all fresh.
How do you decide if joining a CSA is right for you?
If you have been trying to get more fresh produce in your diet, you have a couple of options.
- Shop at the local market is probably the easiest for most people. But it can also be the most complicated. Fresh produce, with no pesticides or GMOs may not necessarily be available. You don’t know where the food is grown or how the suppliers treat their farms. You can research the vendors, but that could take time. And you don’t necessarily know how long the food has sat on the shelves.
- Growing your own veggies can be fun, but really time consuming. You may not necessarily have the time, the patience or the green thumb. Growing your own food can definitely take a lot of work.
- Joining a CSA is becoming more available and many communities have them now. A quick internet search will help you find one near you. Once you join, you have access to many varieties of produce that may be new to you and the farmer is on-hand to help you learn how to use them. Even pick up is an easy process and can be much less stressful than going to the market.
Now that you know your options, maybe you’re leaning on joining the CSA. Here’s a sample of what I have received in the past:
- Lettuce Head
- Dandelion Greens
- Scallions
- Asian Greens
- Parsley
- Young Chinese Cabbage
- Strawberries
- Basil
- Choi
The most exciting vegetable to me, was the bok choi because it wasn’t a vegetable I get the chance to have a lot.
What if you don’t know what to do with some of the items?
It’s ok, the CSA typically will have recipes that can be shared and ideas for how to try the produce. Some even have a Facebook page where other members share recipes.
If you’re still unsure about trying a CSA, research your local farms and get an idea of what they grow, how they grow their produce and what the logistics would be. I don’t think you’ll regret it.