CSAs

I received this photo from my sister Julie last week, with the caption “check out my CSA bounty!”

Wow, right? She and her husband purchased a “half share” from their local farm, and they get produce like this every single week.

I have to admit, I am a little jealous. There are many CSAs where I live on Long Island, but I didn’t get myself pulled together in time to sign up for this season, and most of my local CSAs are already full.  CSAs are a great way to get local produce in the summer and support your local farmers.

What exactly is a CSA?  “CSA” stands for community supported agriculture.  A farmer offers a certain number of shares to the public.  In return for buying a share, the purchaser receives a box of produce from the farm on a weekly basis.  This benefits the farmer in that he/she gets money up front at the start of the season.  In return, the consumer receives fresh, local produce.

CSAs typically consist of vegetables, but some farms offer fruit, eggs, dairy, meat, flowers and herbs.  Each farm has a different option.  Some farms also require that the consumer perform a few hours of work at the farm.  Typically, each farm offers several drop off times and locations for the buyer to pick up their box of produce.  Most farms also offer a “full share” or a “half share”, which refers to the amount of produce received and the cost.

I love the idea behind CSAs.  Buying a share contributes financially to local farms.  Since the produce is different every week, it encourages the consumer to experiment with cooking different food.  The best part about a CSA, in my opinion, is that it promotes eating locally grown, seasonal food.

If you are interested in joining a CSA for this season, some of your local farms may still have shares open.  Each farm has different costs and policies, so do your research before signing up!

It is important to remember that your produce will be different each week, and that you may get vegetables or fruit that you have never tried before.  I visited my sister for dinner last week, and she had a bunch of hakurei turnips from her CSA that she wanted to cook for dinner.  Neither of us had ever made turnips before, but she pulled a simple recipe from the internet and cooked them.  The turnips were incredible, but I will save that discussion for a separate post.

If you belong to a CSA, I would love to hear about your experience with it.  I am hopeful that I can find a good one for next summer, and get myself organized enough to sign up on time.