topic Re: Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs) in Kitchen

Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs)

HonnyBrown — Sat, 14 May 2016 21:03:39 GMT

Is anyone a member? How do you like it? What are the pros and cons?

Re: Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs)

prisrob — Sat, 14 May 2016 21:27:22 GMT

I have been a member of different CSA's for 10 years. We have 15 in our community. I love them, we help support the farmer, and in return you receive fresh veggies, fruit on a weekly basis. You can either have your CSA delivered or pick it up. I go to the farm, and I have my pick of all the herbs and some flowers available. They sell breads,pastries, cheeses and give recipes every week for the produce you receive. Straight from the farm, always fresh.

No downside at all.

Re: Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs)

jaxs mom — Sat, 14 May 2016 23:03:20 GMT

The downside is that you need to figure out a way to get through stuff that may not match up with your menu plan for the week. Or that your family doesn't really like. Plus you don't always get as much of what a specific item that you need. I ended up dropping mine.

Re: Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs)

Ms X — Sat, 14 May 2016 23:15:35 GMT

I'd never heard this term and so looked it up. What happens if you pay up front and there's a drought or something and not much in the way of crops? Are you out of luck, or do they carry insurance so that they can give you a refund?

Re: Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs)

sunshine45 — Sun, 15 May 2016 00:23:27 GMT

i prefer to go to our local farmers markets. i found that the CSAs often had items that my family did not or would not eat AND not enough of other vegetables that we love. when i go to the farmers markets i can pick up exactly what we need and support our local farmers in that way. they are generally more expensive than buying from a grocery store, but worth it.

Re: Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs)

athenian — Sun, 15 May 2016 01:02:02 GMT

I love my CSA, been a member for 7 years. Ours is organic produce, eggs, and beginning to raise cattle and pigs. Fruit trees are planted but will take a few years. The produce is so much better than I can buy at local stores. We have too much shade to have a garden, so this works so well for us. There are a few times every year that there is more kale than I like, but I freeze things that we can't use right away. The CSA owners started as a young couple on a rented farm, now own their own, with 2 kids and a few employees. It's really great for me, and a great addition to our community. They have never been out of produce, although some things might be short some years because of weather.

Re: Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs)

HonnyBrown — Sun, 15 May 2016 11:34:38 GMT

@prisrob wrote:
I have been a member of different CSA's for 10 years. We have 15 in our community. I love them, we help support the farmer, and in return you receive fresh veggies, fruit on a weekly basis. You can either have your CSA delivered or pick it up. I go to the farm, and I have my pick of all the herbs and some flowers available. They sell breads,pastries, cheeses and give recipes every week for the produce you receive. Straight from the farm, always fresh.

No downside at all.

Thanks prisrob! Do you have to work the farm as a part of your agreement?

Re: Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs)

HonnyBrown — Sun, 15 May 2016 11:37:54 GMT

@jaxs mom wrote:
The downside is that you need to figure out a way to get through stuff that may not match up with your menu plan for the week. Or that your family doesn't really like. Plus you don't always get as much of what a specific item that you need. I ended up dropping mine.

Thanks Jaxs! That's my concern, getting a lot of produce that we don't like. There's always soup. Our menus are very flexible though.

Re: Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs)

HonnyBrown — Sun, 15 May 2016 11:39:55 GMT

@Ms X wrote:
I'd never heard this term and so looked it up. What happens if you pay up front and there's a drought or something and not much in the way of crops? Are you out of luck, or do they carry insurance so that they can give you a refund?

Ms X, that is a risk you take. You are buying a share of the farm. If something happens, you are out of luck.

Re: Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs)

HonnyBrown — Sun, 15 May 2016 11:43:22 GMT

@sunshine45 wrote:
i prefer to go to our local farmers markets. i found that the CSAs often had items that my family did not or would not eat AND not enough of other vegetables that we love. when i go to the farmers markets i can pick up exactly what we need and support our local farmers in that way. they are generally more expensive than buying from a grocery store, but worth it.

Sunshine, that's what we do. We love our farmers' markets! I end up buying new things to try every week.

I've been considering a CSA for a few years. I think I would appreciate the variety.

Re: Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs)

HonnyBrown — Sun, 15 May 2016 11:46:41 GMT

@athenian wrote:
I love my CSA, been a member for 7 years. Ours is organic produce, eggs, and beginning to raise cattle and pigs. Fruit trees are planted but will take a few years. The produce is so much better than I can buy at local stores. We have too much shade to have a garden, so this works so well for us. There are a few times every year that there is more kale than I like, but I freeze things that we can't use right away. The CSA owners started as a young couple on a rented farm, now own their own, with 2 kids and a few employees. It's really great for me, and a great addition to our community. They have never been out of produce, although some things might be short some years because of weather.

Thanks athenian!

I did volunteer work at a farm one year. They gave me a half share of a CSA box. It was heavy on leafy greens, which took up the space, and there were some root vegetables and eggs.

Re: Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs)

athenian — Sun, 15 May 2016 12:40:54 GMT

With ours, it depends on the time of year. You really do eat seasonally. Ours runs from May through November, and now that there are greenhouses on the farm we get greens in the winter. We decide from the selection what we want each week. Rare that there aren't at least nine different choices. In fall I stock up on potatoes and onions to store through the winter. I don't can anymore, but he has specials on tomatoes, green beans, corn, etc., for those that do.

Re: Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs)

tobes — Sun, 15 May 2016 14:03:54 GMT

Have been a member for about 5 yrs. Love it. The produce is always fresh and free of chemicals. You get the freshest seasonal products and it is creative to find a way to cook new things. My CSA also offers recipies each week on-line. They also offer herbs that you can pick yourself, making them so fresh and flowers as well. I can choose fresh garlic. I live in Connecticut and here you are never more than 10 minutes from a farm. I have also purchased yogurt and eggs from the farm. Really good. Highly recommend because they benefit the small farmers who are struggling to provide clean, good produce.

Re: Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs)

HangingTen — Sun, 15 May 2016 21:00:51 GMT

Though I didn't sign up, my employer started allowing a CSA to deliver their produce to my work location this year. It's more of a co-op so if one farmer has a bad location, then hopefully another farm will be okay. As a single person, I want to see how much produce people get each week to decide if I'll try it next year

Re: Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs)

HonnyBrown — Sun, 22 May 2016 11:38:21 GMT

Ten, that is so cool!

There's a farmers market at my job on Thursday year round. One CSA delivers to a local restaurant and others you can pick up from if they are nearby. I think a few do home delivery.

Re: Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs)

Mominohio — Sun, 22 May 2016 13:55:52 GMT

So I'm guessing these are the newest version of a co op.

We live rural, and grow our own large garden and have a small fruit orchard as well, so it isn't something we'd be interested in being a part of right now.

If we didn't grow our own,I think I would prefer to shop some of the many farmer's markets and roadside stands we have here, and have some choice, rather than have to take what was available from the CSA.

Re: Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs)

willdob3 — Sun, 22 May 2016 17:18:45 GMT

I love the idea but the ones close to me did not offer much I would have been interested in getting so I never joined one.