Homegrown Happy Valley

It’s hard to leave a party these days without someone making reference  to their “CSA” or “farm share.” If you’re thinking about joining the trend, now is the time. The ground is thawing, leaves are sprouting, and farms are gearing up for their busy season.

So what’s it all about? CSA is short for Community Supported Agriculture. As the name implies, locals support the farm by buying “memberships” that give them a share of the weekly or bi-weekly harvest. That means signing on for the ups and downs of agriculture, whether it’s a bumper crop of butternut squash or a dearth of strawberries.

Picking up my CSA is definitely the highlight of our to-do list. Twice a month in the winter and once a week the rest of the year I drive to Tait Farm and pick up my “share” of fruit and vegetables. Last week that meant a crate of mixed greens (spinach, chard, etc.), along with the remnants of the season’s butternut squash and root vegetables, including potatoes and turnips. But I’m already dreaming of asparagus—the first taste of the Spring harvest—and early summer rhubarb. Belonging to a CSA has shifted my entire relationship with food. Instead of picking out recipes, then shopping for the ingredients at the grocery store, I cook and eat based on what’s in season. It makes you incredibly appreciative for a stalk of asparagus and the work that went into producing it.

At most CSAs you can sign up for a share that’s tailored to what you can actually eat; my family of four—including one incredibly picky 5-year-old—has found Tait’s individual share to be more than sufficient. We eat nearly everything we pick up. And believe me, once you’ve met the farmers who are responsible for feeding your family, you feel reallllly guilty throwing stuff out. (Fortunately, Tait has a composting program, so if you do end up with some moldy vegetables, you can take some solace in the fact that they’ll end up back in the fields, nourishing future meals.) Another way to avoid wasting food is splitting the share with a friend or another family member. And, whether you’re going on vacation or just don’t have time to cook, some CSAs allow you to donate your share to the Food Bank. Some farms offer their CSAs year-round, while others offer just a Spring, Summer and Fall share.

Finding the CSA that makes sense for you will take some shopping around (local food site LocalHarvest has a helpful list of questions to ask each farmer.) The shares vary by price, method of pick-up, and products included. Many farms offer more than just fruit and vegetables. Members of Tait’s CSA must pick up at the farm and the shares typically include one of its retail products, like a jar of jam or a bottle of salad dressing. Village Acres includes a dozen eggs each week and brings the boxes of produce and eggs to the Friends Meeting House every Tuesday for pick-up.

Ultimately, being a member of a CSA is about relationships. You get to know your local farmers: a group of people who, in our opinion, are completely undervalued in our society. You share in their excitement of a successful black bean experiment, and lament the end of a pitiful strawberry season. And you no longer have to worry that your spinach is tainted with the latest E. coli strain. For the ladies of Homegrown, it’s one of the most satisfying ways we know to take an active role in the community.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 24th, 2010 at 9:48 pm and is filed under Farm, Food. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.