We have been part of a great farm share/CSA (community supported agriculture) for the last two years and have just signed up again. Its a great way to get local, seasonal, often-organic vegetables every week, fresh from the farm.
How it works: Basically, you sign up and pay the farmer in late winter. This guarantee’s the farmer a set income so they can plan for the season. Every week, they drop off the food at a centralized location (and some deliver to doors) or you can pick it up at the farm. You get whatever is ready that week and it is super fresh. Its also fun for my kids to visit the farm and actually get to see where their food comes from. The price tag can seem high at first, but if you add it up per week, it comes to about $25/week and I definitely get that value in the food we get. Its also been great at adding new vegetables to our routine – I never would have tried kale again but we got a big bunch and it was yummy. Who knew?
Its really nice to know the people who grow my food, especially with all the recalls and food scares that seem omnipresent these days. It’s not always “organic” (as standardized by the USDA) but the point for me is that I know the Jug Bay Farm is not spraying chemicals and is doing everything possible to make sure the food they grow is healthy. I’ve met the chickens who lay the eggs we eat and I can vouch that they actually are ‘free-range’ and they’re definitely happy. A luxury? Sure, but so worth it.
Local Harvest has links to find a local CSA in your area. The Washington Post did a story on it for folks in the DC Metro area too. Eat Wild is a neat site for local food too – less CSA but still farmer-direct.
Drop me an email if you’ve got something to add or found other great CSA’s. Happy Eating!