Anyone try CSAs?

Heather said:

I'm looking at joining a CSA (community supported agriculture) for the
summer. Essentially, you pay a farm a fixed fee at the beginning of the
summer and for 16 weeks or so you get a box of vegetables every week.
Whatever is fresh that week from that farm.

Has anyone done this before?

this is the one I'm looking to join but I need to find another couple to
split it with us as 16 pounds of veggies a week is just too much for David
and I.
http://members.localnet.com/~bhftrust/

I think it's an extremely good idea, and I tried to join one this year, but
I'm just a little too far from any of the CSA farms. My sister lives close
to a CSA farm, so I gave her a year-long CSA share for Christmas. So far
it's worked out very well for her, but she won't be able to evaluate it as
worthwhile or not until the entire year is run.

The deal you're investigating sounds typical, though I haven't seen one that
only lasts 16 weeks. (I only looked in California for myself and Florida for
my sister. It makes perfect sense that Minnesota farmers wouldn't be
harvesting year-round.) I think it would be a lot of fun getting a box of
mixed produce and then figuring out what you're going to do with it all!

Bob

The Bubbo said:

I'm looking at joining a CSA (community supported agriculture) for the summer.
Essentially, you pay a farm a fixed fee at the beginning of the summer and for
16 weeks or so you get a box of vegetables every week. Whatever is fresh that
week from that farm.

Has anyone done this before?

this is the one I'm looking to join but I need to find another couple to split
it with us as 16 pounds of veggies a week is just too much for David and I.
http://members.localnet.com/~bhftrust/

I've heard about these. Sounds like a great thing. how would I go about
finding one in my area?

Siobhan Perricone said:

Yes, we split with another couple. They tended to like the things we
didn't, and vice versa. It was really nice getting the fresh produce so
regularly, though it was challenging trying to plan meals around it when I
didn't know what I'd have each week, and we both work full time. 🙂

I heartily recommend it.

I agree, the big challenge is actually using everything before it
goes.

I used to regularly do CSAs, and recommend them highly for folks to at
least try out, especially if you like vegetables and spend lots of
money bringing home giant baskets of produce from the store. However,
I ended up not doing one the last few years for two reasons:

1. I also grow a lot of my own vegetables, and unless you deliberately
grow something different than your CSA, this can result in vegetable
overkill. Nothing like pulling 5 lbs of potatoes from your garden,
and then finding out that this weeks CSA basket contains another 10
lbs of potatoes. Yeah, you can preserve some stuff, but often that
only delays the problem (there is a limit on the number of patty pan
squashes two people can eat in a year...)

2. I'm a regular at two area farmers markets (Norwich and Lebanon, for
the NH/VT folks out there), and found that the combination of the CSA
and my own garden meant that I already had too many vegetables and
didn't buy as much from the other farmers that weren't in the CSA,
including a few for which I had been a very steady customer. I
decided that part of "community sponsored agriculture" involved
spreading around my commerce a little more, and in general like buying
a little from each person. I'm still very regular customer of the farms
that I was a CSA member of, however.

--
Richard W Kaszeta
[email hidden]
http://www.kaszeta.org/rich

The Bubbo said:

I'm looking at joining a CSA (community supported agriculture) for the summer.
Essentially, you pay a farm a fixed fee at the beginning of the summer and for
16 weeks or so you get a box of vegetables every week. Whatever is fresh that
week from that farm.

Has anyone done this before?

this is the one I'm looking to join but I need to find another couple to split
it with us as 16 pounds of veggies a week is just too much for David and I.
http://members.localnet.com/~bhftrust/

--
.:Heather:.
www.velvet-c.com
Step off, beyotches, I'm the roflpimp!

I've been doing it for 3 years, and it's fantastic. In ours, all the
produce is organic. It's $17 a week, and we get more than enough
vegetables for the week, plus fruit and occasionally flour. We can
also purchase eggs and chickens.

For most of the summer, it's too much for the two of us to use, but I
have a big freezer and a copy of 'Putting Food By', so we eat
immediately what doesn't keep as well (summer squash, greens) and
freezing what freezes well.

I've always felt I got more than my money's worth -- even if you take
regular grocery prices into account, not organic prices. Plus, because
we get so many vegetables, I tend to fix more vegetarian meals. So my
grocery bill is even lower, since I'm not buying as much meat.

It's a great deal!

Quoted message said:

I've heard about these. Sounds like a great thing. how would I go about
finding one in my area?

http://www.biodynamics.com/usda/csastate.htm

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I've heard about these. Sounds like a great thing. how would I go about
finding one in my area?

http://www.biodynamics.com/usda/csastate.htm

A better link:
http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

Abe said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I've heard about these. Sounds like a great thing. how would I go about
finding one in my area?

http://www.biodynamics.com/usda/csastate.htm

A better link:
http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

Thanks for the links. Surprisingly - since there's lots of farm country
around here - there doesn't seem to be anything in my area.

Jude said:

The Bubbo said:

I'm looking at joining a CSA (community supported agriculture) for the summer.
Essentially, you pay a farm a fixed fee at the beginning of the summer and for
16 weeks or so you get a box of vegetables every week. Whatever is fresh that
week from that farm.

Has anyone done this before?

this is the one I'm looking to join but I need to find another couple to split
it with us as 16 pounds of veggies a week is just too much for David and I.
http://members.localnet.com/~bhftrust/

I've heard about these. Sounds like a great thing. how would I go about
finding one in my area?

When I lived in the Hampton Roads area we used to do you pick
strawberries in Poquoson and blackberries and blueberries in
Gloucester. Hill Pleasant farm in Toano had fresh asparagus and other
vegetables in season. Also large variety of apples. Watch the want
ads during the spring an summer. In Hampton the places advertised
under "Good Things to Eat."
--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974

Jude said:

The Bubbo said:

I'm looking at joining a CSA (community supported agriculture) for the summer.
Essentially, you pay a farm a fixed fee at the beginning of the summer and for
16 weeks or so you get a box of vegetables every week. Whatever is fresh that
week from that farm.

Has anyone done this before?

this is the one I'm looking to join but I need to find another couple to split
it with us as 16 pounds of veggies a week is just too much for David and I.
http://members.localnet.com/~bhftrust/

I've heard about these. Sounds like a great thing. how would I go about
finding one in my area?

Try this site:

http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

Christine

The Cook said:

When I lived in the Hampton Roads area we used to do you pick
strawberries in Poquoson and blackberries and blueberries in
Gloucester. Hill Pleasant farm in Toano had fresh asparagus and other
vegetables in season. Also large variety of apples. Watch the want
ads during the spring an summer. In Hampton the places advertised
under "Good Things to Eat."
--

That's why I'm surprised! With the number of farms in Pungo, and a
little further south in NC, I figured someone might have started a CSA
program.

We go pick strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries every year and
freze 5 lbs or so of each for the winter. Drive down to Knotts Island
for peaches. I shop at a local produce stand (Stoney's Market) or if
I'm in the area, at the farm stands down below the 'green line'. Lots
of good local fresh stuff, seems like a CSA might be a good idea for
the farmers!!

Thanks for the tips, though.

Thanks for the feedback, people! I think I found someone at work to split it
with, she's been doing it for a few years now and she does it through a
different farm than I picked so we'll go with that one.

And yeah, in minnesota the CSAs run from about June to October. There was one
that started in may and had things like sunchokes and scapes that early but
they were well out of my way.

Hopefully I will get signed up soon and then will take the summer to
experiment with new veggies.

Jude said:

The Bubbo said:

I'm looking at joining a CSA (community supported agriculture) for the summer.
Essentially, you pay a farm a fixed fee at the beginning of the summer and for
16 weeks or so you get a box of vegetables every week. Whatever is fresh that
week from that farm.

Has anyone done this before?

this is the one I'm looking to join but I need to find another couple to split
it with us as 16 pounds of veggies a week is just too much for David and I.
http://members.localnet.com/~bhftrust/

I've heard about these. Sounds like a great thing. how would I go about
finding one in my area?

I guess it all depends on where you live.... this is the first time
I've heard about it. Sounds great, but also sounds expensive.
--

Practice safe eating. Always use condiments.

The Bubbo said:

Thanks for the feedback, people! I think I found someone at work to split it
with, she's been doing it for a few years now and she does it through a
different farm than I picked so we'll go with that one.

And yeah, in minnesota the CSAs run from about June to October. There was one
that started in may and had things like sunchokes and scapes that early but
they were well out of my way.

Hopefully I will get signed up soon and then will take the summer to
experiment with new veggies.

I have absolutely no idea what a "scape" is, but if you've never eaten
a "sunchoke" (jerusalem artichoke).... I know you'll be glad you tried
it at least once.
--

Practice safe eating. Always use condiments.

The Cook said:

When I lived in the Hampton Roads area we used to do you pick
strawberries in Poquoson and blackberries and blueberries in
Gloucester.

I spent many years on Virginia Beach picking blueberries down in
Sandbridge. Nice area!

sf said:

I guess it all depends on where you live.... this is the first time
I've heard about it. Sounds great, but also sounds expensive.

Yet I like the idea of supporting the actual farmers directly for their
labor. I'm going to research what is available to me in my area.

sf said:

I guess it all depends on where you live.... this is the first time
I've heard about it. Sounds great, but also sounds expensive.

Yathink? Most of what i've found online averages between $12 and $20
per week for produce. I spend at least twice that much on fruits and
veggies. Of course I'd be supplementing with items I wanted that
weren't in the box, but it still overall sounds like a good deal to me.
Especially for an organic CSA.

Jude said:

sf said:

I guess it all depends on where you live.... this is the first time
I've heard about it. Sounds great, but also sounds expensive.

Yathink? Most of what i've found online averages between $12 and $20
per week for produce. I spend at least twice that much on fruits and
veggies. Of course I'd be supplementing with items I wanted that
weren't in the box, but it still overall sounds like a good deal to me.
Especially for an organic CSA.

I looked at one that was $450 a month *eek*

I think you are in my area....did you find one around here that low in
price?? I could pay that and would! Heck I'd even drive across the
bridge for that

Roberta (in VA)

Roberta said:

Jude said:

sf said:

I guess it all depends on where you live.... this is the first time
I've heard about it. Sounds great, but also sounds expensive.

Yathink? Most of what i've found online averages between $12 and $20
per week for produce. I spend at least twice that much on fruits and
veggies. Of course I'd be supplementing with items I wanted that
weren't in the box, but it still overall sounds like a good deal to me.
Especially for an organic CSA.

I looked at one that was $450 a month *eek*

I think you are in my area....did you find one around here that low in
price?? I could pay that and would! Heck I'd even drive across the
bridge for that

Roberta (in VA)

Wow!
The one I am signing up for is $450 for the whole summer, about 16-19 weeks I
think.

--
..:Heather:.
www.velvet-c.com
Step off, beyotches, I'm the roflpimp!

The Bubbo said:

Wow!
The one I am signing up for is $450 for the whole summer, about 16-19 weeks I
think.

Most of them around here in NH/Vt are $350 to $450 for around 4 months.

--
Richard W Kaszeta
[email hidden]
http://www.kaszeta.org/rich