The grocery store has become a very scary place filled with all kinds of confusing messages. Is “all natural” the same as “organic”? Which non-organic fruits and vegetables are ok to buy? What the heck is GMO? Consumers are taking notice of food labels more closely than ever and what they’re finding has started a movement that is taking them out of the supermarket and sending them to their local farm.
CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farms are farms where a community of individuals share in its food production by purchasing “shares” or “memberships”. Typically, the shareholders will turn out weekly to pick up their share of the harvest or even have an opportunity to pick their own crops. These farms have exploded in popularity in the recent years and often have long waiting lists of people wanting to get in on the local green action.
If you’re not lucky enough to have your own piece of earth to farm (or even plant a modest garden), joining a CSA is modern multitasking greenie’s dream. Not only are you getting fresh whole foods (that are often either pesticide free or certified organic), you’re supporting a local farmer and helping to preserve green space. CSAs also offer a different type of “green” social networking that allows you to actually meet like-minded people in person – maybe while picking up your share, maybe while volunteering to help with the spring planting or weekly harvest.
My decision to join my local CSA with my family was an easy one. I want to see where my food is grown and know the people who grow it. I can witness firsthand the care and love that goes into every crop. My kids come along and get to pick their own greens which they’re more than happy to help prepare for a meal that they’ll want to eat – something that never happened when I brought the same food home from the grocery store. Getting my kids to actually eat something green is worth the price of admission alone.
This year, my own tiny dirt patch is home to only a couple tomato plants and some herbs. Every Saturday morning this summer will be spent 10 minutes from my house at a local farm with my husband and four kids picking up our weekly harvest of a variety of fruits, vegetables, and greens that I could only dream of having enough room to grow. I get to play farmer for an hour or two and leave all the hard work and mess for someone else. The share costs roughly $25 a week (prices vary from farm to farm), but the overall experience is priceless.
For more information on supporting local farms, check out LocalHarvest.org for a nationwide listing of farmers’ markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food.
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