CSA brings together the best of many worlds: delicious, local organic food to your table, but also the satisfaction of being a part of a community effort. Small-scale farming is a challenging venture in these times, but with the support of the community it can and does work. The model calls for member families to invest in the season’s costs at the beginning of the growing season, the time when funds are needed most. In return, members are given first priority each week on what is available, and also pay less than non-members.
CSA is an economically viable way for small-scale farmers to produce a select quantity of vegetable foods of wide variety in an earth-friendly way. It puts people back in touch with their own food too, creating a real relationship between the grower, the consumer, the product, and the land on which the product is grown. Why eat food that lacks flavor, has been uniformly grown, chemically treated, harvested too soon, and transported long miles? Instead, at a cost not significantly more than elsewhere, CSA members regularly receive a cornucopia of fresh, ripened, pesticide-free vegetables throughout the harvest season. CSA is earth-friendly because it uses only organic farming methods, but also because it respects the land and it’s limitations, the weather, and many other growing conditions that require us to grow and enjoy our food working with, and not against, these variables.
Once I have met the weekly needs of my CSA members I plan on selling additional produce either through email orders or at a local farmer's market. I'm very excited about this inaugural year; all the support and interest is very inspiring - thank you!
