Community Supported Agriculture/Farms (CSA/CSF)
May 05, 2013Posted by Forno BravoMichael Pollan’s new book and the attention it is getting got me thinking (again) about where our basic food stuff come from — so I went back and watched the documentaries Fresh and Ingredients again (I decided to pass on Food, Inc.). All of which got me thinking about farmers’ markets, CSA/CSFs and sustainable food that is good for us, our kids and the planet.
To quote Wikipedia:
Community-supported agriculture (Sometimes known as community-shared agriculture or CSA) is an alternative, locally-based economic model of agriculture and food distribution. A CSA also refers to a particular network or association of individuals who have pledged to support one or more local farms, with growers and consumers sharing the risks and benefits of food production. CSA members or subscribers pay at the onset of the growing season for a share of the anticipated harvest; once harvesting begins, they receive weekly shares of vegetables and fruit, in a vegetable box scheme. Many CSAs also sometimes include herbs, cut flowers, honey, eggs, dairy products and meat. In theory a CSA can provide any product to its members, although the majority of CSA tend to provide produce and other comestibles. Some CSAs provide for contributions of labor in lieu of a portion of subscription costs.
We live in a place where we have ready access to CSA’s, so it was time to take action. This weekend I signed for a weekly pick-up of fresh seafood, a weekly pick-up of local organic vegetables and eggs, and a quarterly pick up of frozen, grass-fed beef. I’m sure this sounds like another story of a privileged locavore, but I do think this matters. I’ll let you know how it goes, what we end up getting and eating, and the fun new recipes we are going to have to come up with to actually eat all of this stuff.
Here are the links to our local CSAs:
