How To Find Local Fresh Organic Produce (CSA)

photo courtesy of Gibbs Family Farm

Have you ever shopped for organic fruits and vegetables?  They are usually pretty darn expensive if you can even find them at your neighborhood grocery.  My local chain grocery store (Jewel) doesn’t even sell organic produce - I can only find them at Whole Foods.  I think if it were a viable option, we’d all prefer buying organic fruits and vegetables.  After all, who really wants to eat food that’s been doused with pesticide?

Community Supported Agriculture farms (CSA) are farms that sell shares of their crop to families and then deliver seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables on a weekly basis to a pickup location in the community.  Some CSA’s require that you contribute money and labor to the farm but most of them just farm the land themselves using the revenue from the sale of the food to support it.

The great thing about these CSA farms is that most of them use organic farming methods so it’s like buying organic Whole Foods type produce except the food doesn’t travel a gazillion miles to your table.  This helps the environment by reducing emissions from the car/truck and saving on fuel etc.

CSA’s usually offer large and small shares.  The price of the shares varies depending on the farm itself.  My local CSA shares are priced $550 for a small share and $650 for a large share.  That’s only $23-$27 per week so it’s also very affordable.  Another cool thing about this is that they deliver whatever is in season at any given time so you never know what you’re going to get, it’s sort of like a surprise grocery delivery.

If you are concerned about being able to cook and eat a full or even half share of produce each week, think about splitting a share (or 1/2 share) with a friend or two.  And if you are still not even ready for that, think about finding a CSA in your area and stopping by their delivery location to buy some of their extras. I don’t have my own share (I grow a lot of my produce myself) but I usually go by on Saturday mornings to pick up a big bag of fresh organic salad greens for $2.00.  You can’t beat that!

Here’s a great website that’ll help you find a CSA in your area.  My local CSA started delivering this weekend so you may have a hard time finding one with available shares this late in the season, but it’s worth a shot.

I’d love to hear from some people that get produce from a CSA.  Got any great stories to tell us?  What’s the quality of the produce like?  Leave a comment - it may encourage somebody to support a CSA.