Does anyone belong to a CSA? Any thoughts, comments? Is it worth it for what you get? How much do you spend each year and is it more than you would spend just shopping at the market?

Suz

Just saw this thread now.

I've had a CSA share for the past 2 summers and have a winter share through a local farm. I totally think the share is worth it. Mine cost $425 and lasted from mid-June to late-Sept. I got beautiful organic produce each week from a local farm. I switched farms after the first one bc it was a bit smaller and I was disappointed with the selection. The second summer my share was with a more established farm that sold a lot of produce to local co-ops and had a PYO strawberry operation and good farmer's market business. I often had a choice of a few things, so if I still had kohlrabi leftover from last week, I could get cabbage instead.

I wholly recommend it. This week is only my 2nd week getting the winter share, so I can't comment on that.

My only recommendation is do some research. Talk to the farms in the area who offer CSAs and get a list of what they're planting. And get on their list early! CSAs in our area fill up in early spring.

ANother comment, you must be willing to experiment and love vegetables. Do you want to eat kale/chard every week? If you get a vegetable you're not familiar with, are you willing to find recipes or do research on how to prepare it? Some farms have a weekly newsletter with your pickup with recipes for some of the less common items.

The bulk of our pickup was dark leafy greens, salad greens/lettuce/spinach, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, cukes, beets and carrots. We had herbs each week and also soemtimes had tomatillos, kohlrabi, cabbage, leeks, spring onions, garlic scapes and heads of garlic.

Sorry this is sort of unorganized. Hope it helps though. I'm happy to answer other questions for you!

We start receiving our share in early/mid June and have p/up until Nov.7th. We did have a pint of strawberries and some raspberries and 1 watermelon and the rest is vegetables. This is an organic CSA and we pay $460/yr or $400 with 10 hrs work on the farm which is what I do. I feel totally confident that this farmer knows what he is doing with organics. We've had some interesting talks while harvesting. They print a newsletter every 2 wks and give us recipes and hints on storage etc.

I also have belonged to a CSA for the past 2 summers with a similar experience to Carolyn. The first year I joined a small farm that was just getting started with CSA and was not happy with the quantities or selection. This year I joined a CSA that is quite established (Harmony Valley Farm in WI), provides produce to co-ops and restaurants and has a farmer's market stand.

I have been so happy with this farm. The produce is great and the variety is excellent. It also meets my family's needs since we get every-other-week delivery (there are only two of us and every week was overwhelming at times). Most farms only have every week delivery with the option to split a box. It is worth checking different farms to find one that meets your needs. This farm also has a flex plan to choose the weeks for delivery, a peak season plan and winter storage boxes, etc.

Also, this farm has longer seasons. We get delivery starting at the beginning of May until end of October with one delivery each in Nov and Dec. This is remarkable since it is in the upper midwest and the growing season is short.

The produce quality is great (fresh organic tastes so much better than supermarket) and having the veggies forces us to eat healthier since I feel guilty throwing them out. I feel good about eating organic and supporting a local farm. I think it is more expensive than going to the grocery store, but I just pay in full in early spring and commit to preparing and eating healthy food. I think I would not make the same choices in the grocery store if I had to pay the premium organic prices. It has been great to try new veggies that I have never had before (sometimes challenging, but fun also).

I just received the signup form for 2007 - for every-other-week May through Dec (17 boxes) will be $475. There are other plans available and also payment options, including automatic monthly deduction from checking.

I also totally recommend the CSA, but go slow at first. I think it takes a while to get used to the variety and quantity of veggies - if you have to compost some the first year, think of it as a learning experience. The next year will be easier. Local Harvest website is a great resource for listings of CSAs throughout the US (input your zipcode). (Note I am not affiliated with this website but found it to be useful.) Good luck!

I should qualify my previous post regarding cost. The CSA is not really more expensive than going to the grocery store - it is just more food than I typically would buy, so the total cost is more than I would have spent. But the cost for the veggies received is definitely less than they would be if purchased organic in the grocery store. Totally worth it.

Is anyone getting a CSA share this summer? For those of you who don't know, CSA is an abbreviation for Community Supported Agriculture, a system in which consumers support a local farm by paying in advance for agricultural products. You buy a share at the beginning of the season and you usually pick up produce weekly from the farm or other central location.

I've had CSA shares the past 2 summers but w'ere not this year. THe farm we did it through last summer was amazing, but they're taking the year off. They had some crazy floods and otherwise bad weather issues last season and want to do some repairs. We also are tackling a large-ish garden, so I thought I'd hold off on a full share and just supplement at the farmer's market instead.

It's probably not too late to get a share if you're interested. Check out Local Harvestfor a farm near you!