The next best/cheapest thing to growing your own organic produce is to buy a share in a local farm. Sound complicated? Not at all now that CSA programs are sprouting up all over.
Here’s how it works:
You pay for produce up front in the winter or spring to help the farmer plant and grow the food and then partake of its bounty during summer and fall. Depending on how the CSA is set up, your produce will either be delivered to your door or you pick up the produce every week at a central location near you.
Just a few advantages of joining a CSA:
* It’s recession-proof. If you break down the cost, it usually comes out to $18-$22 per week for more fresh, organic veggies than you know what to do with. Cutting out the packager and/or retailer saves $$$.
* You can share your CSA share with a friend or neighbor, and it costs only $9-$11 per week. My hubby and I have only ever shared shares, and it’s definitely enough for us.
* Since you’re given what’s been harvested that week, you eat seasonally.
* You will impress your friends with the cool-sounding ingredients you’re working with: “Yes, I’m making a mizuna salad with rat-tail radishes, garlic scapes, and a Thai basil-lemon dressing.”
* You can visit the farm and talk to the farmer…or just take pictures of broccoli like I did. :-)
* You get a serious boost in green street cred when you can brag about owning a share in a local, organic farm.
So….
1.) Find one near you using LocalHarvest’s CSA locator.
2.) New Yorkers can use Just Food’s CSA locator.
Better do it now since demand is skyrocketing, and programs are filling up fast!
via Marisa Miller-Wolfson at kindgreenplanet.org