We are blessed in Northern Colorado to be surrounded by such abundance and diversity. Many folks believe that buying a food share from a nearby farm (Community Supported Agriculture or CSA) is one of the only ways to eat locally. While it is a wonderful option, it isn’t your only option. You can support our wonderful farms and ranches by choosing local options from the menu of your favorite restaurants, purchase directly from the farm stands and the farmers markets, or choose the local options at your grocery store or neighborhood market. With that said, a CSA is a great option, and here are a few things to consider to make it a succesful choice for you and your family.
If you are marinating on the idea of whether or not to purchase a CSA, it serves you to understand the basic premise. You pay for your food in advance so the farmer has the start up funds to begin the season. Otherwise, they are staking the upfront costs for months before they see a return. Those lovely greens we start getting in April and May, they are growing right now. Those plants that start going into the fields in May, they are being planted in greenhouses and hoop houses all over the Front Range right now. So much work happens before the markets and the CSA starts showering you with food. So, your part as a CSA member is making that early stage a little less stressful and removes the guesswork about where you’re going to get all that fresh yummy goodness this season. It also helps a farmer to project what they need to plant and how much, with less room for waste. The market is already established. Then, as a member, you either receive a credit from the farm to use on your terms, or you get a box of food each week based on what’s available and in season. I love the concept.
So, with that said, and an assumption that you desire to bring more local food into your diet, is a CSA the best option? You can figure that out by asking yourself a few questions.
1. Do you cook? Or, are you willing to cook or learn how to cook? If the answer to these questions are no, well, then a CSA may not be the best option for you. If you are a juicer, or like a lot of raw food, then maybe this option will be a fit. But if you are loathe to enter the kitchen, or haven’t turned your stove on in the five years since you moved into your home or apartment, well, that may be a problem. You’ll find yourself wasting a lot of wonderful and healthy food.
2. Do you have time? When I was a college student, and worked several part-time jobs, I split a CSA share with my friend. Each week we would head over to the farm and pick up our share. Then I would go home and plan how I was going to eat it for the week. My schedule was crazy, so it took some planning and discipline to make sure I was eating the food from my share and not just grabbing the next quick thing to make sure I ate. So I’d chop and saute and cook reheatable meals and have grab and go food for the week. Without that effort, it would not have been a good choice for me. As a college student, I couldn’t afford to waste money. In the end though, I actually saved money and my diet evolved beyond ramen noodles.
3. Is it too much food for you? My friend and I split a small share. She had two roomates, and I was buying for just me. Between all of us there was more than enough. If you are in tune with what you eat and how much, it will help you decide on the right size. Will you be preserving some of it? Freezing, canning and drying are great options for extending the fresh food season. If it appears to be too much at once, consider splitting it with a neighbor or your friends. Maybe you find after a season that you can utilize the share. Or maybe a share is too much and the sharing option makes it just right.
4. Are you a picky eater? If you are, the standard CSA share may not be the best option. But a market share or choice share, where you can buy what you want when you want or choose set amounts of what you prefer may be the best option. When researching shares you can obtain lists from the various farms of what they grow and what an average season looks like. If you find you turn up your noise at a large number of the vegetables you’ll be getting, then you might skip the normal CSA and opt for a market share.
5. Do you eat eggs, meat, bread, fruit and cheese regularly? Maybe the veggie part of your diet is inconsistent, and you aren’t quite sure you are ready to commit to a season of regular abundance. You want to dip your toes in but not quite take the plunge. I would suggest that you look at what you do eat consistently. CSA shares are available for a wide variety of local foods. You can purchase a chicken share, or an egg share. There are cheese shares, and one for mushrooms. Seasonal fruit shares and baked goods. And the best thing? They are available individually, so you pick and choose.
Now, if you’ve asked yourself these questions, and you are ready to take the step and join a farm, the next step is choosing which one works for you. Like I said, we have a lot of options here. Let’s minimize the overwhelm and narrow the list down by looking at the following:
1. How is the food grown or raised? Is certified organic important or is it enough to know the farm enagages in sustainable, humane and organic practices?
2. What do you like to eat? Heirloom veggies and unique choices or do you merley want the basics?
3. Convenience? Do you want to pick up on the farm, at the farmers market or is a drop off location near work or your home sufficient?
4. Price? Is there a share size that fits your needs best? Does the farm have an option to work for a partial discount?
5. Community? Are you looking for more than food? Are you looking to become part of a larger community with kids activities and educational opportunities?
6. Variety? Are you looking for just veggies? Or a full diet option which includes meat, cheese, bread and fruit?
Once you know what you are looking for it will make the searching a little easier. And the best part? You get to choose again next year if you didn’t get the fit you were looking for.
Good luck!