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Are you a CSA member? A regular for years? Just starting with a CSA? Or do you have no idea what CSAs are all about? I must admit I fell into the latter category until just a few years ago. And while I liked the idea of CSAs, I’d never really taken the time to do my homework on joining a CSA. Earlier this year however, I took the plunge, studied up on local CSAs in my area, and joined. And now that the CSA is in the peak of harvest, I thought I’d share my thoughts on my experience here.

Just a quick background on what CSAs are…CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) provides you with the opportunity to buy local seasonal food directly from the farmers growing the food. You support local farms and in return receive fresh veggies (sometimes other goodies too). Typically the farm offers “shares” to the community for purchase. You purchase a “share” of the harvest and each week of the growing season you receive a box of vegetables, fruit, or other farm products based on what is harvested that week.

This week's "box" from my CSA

I’ve been picking up my CSA share for almost 3 months now and I’ve found we’ve tried foods I wouldn’t normally pick up in the grocery store. We’ve had a rainbow of color in our kitchen all summer with white, red, brown, and purple potatoes, melons of red, orange, and yellow, peppers in deep greens, reds, oranges, and yellows, and leafy greens with names I’d never heard. Who knew carrots could be purple or that my kids would ABSOLUTELY LOVE potato leek soup!?!

After reviewing several CSAs earlier this year, I’ll tell you why I picked the one I’m with and what I like about it:

• Allowed monthly payments instead of requiring the lump sum in advance. Most CSAs collect the entire fee for the season up front. They have a system in place to make sure they get payment so people don’t just back out on their end of the agreement–afterall, you are making a commitment to the farm and they are depending on you.
• Allowed 2 vacation credits. Let’s be honest–summer is hectic and there are times you likely will be away and unable to put your weekly box to use. Our CSA allowed us to schedule 2 dates that we would not pick up a box and gave us a monetary credit for those 2 weeks at the farm stand. Now I have a credit to buy exactly what I want. (Don’t worry–if you’ll be out of town at times during CSA season I’ve found I have friends who are more than happy for an excuse to visit the farmer’s market, pick up my goodies, and enjoy some of my box’s bounty).
• Provided a weekly newsletter with a detailed explanation of what was in that week’s box, how you might use it, and some recipes that put the contents of the box to great use!
• Encouraged visits to the actual farm by providing CSA member discounts, activities and events at the local farm.

Now, not everything has been perfect with the CSA membership:

• You do have to realize that there may be some items you don’t really like. I’ve realized that beets and rhubarb are not my family’s favorites (nor do I have any neighbors or friends who cherish them to thus take them off my hands). You may be able to trade items with another CSA member when picking up–I’ve given a few beets away.
• Also, there can be times that schedules get hectic and it has been hard to arrange time to get our box picked up. Lucky for us, our CSA pickup is right next to the public library so we’ve turned our CSA pickup time into a weekly outings to the library as well…enriching bodies AND minds!
• And of course, you have to remember to put that produce to use during the week. I admit–there have been a few items I found tucked back in my fridge and forgotten until it was too late.

All in all, our CSA membership has been a positive experience and a wonderful learning opportunity for our family about food, where it comes from, supporting local economy, and trying new things. If you are interested in CSAs, check out http://www.localharvest.org/csa/ to find a listing of local CSAs in your area. I hope you can find a CSA experience that is right for you.