Community Supported Agriculture, or CSAs, are a great way to get consistent, fresh, local produce from a farm in your community. In a CSA, you buy into the plan for a growing season - typically at least May to September. Then, you collect a regular share of produce from the farm- most often vegetables, but CSAs often include things like meat, eggs, value-added products, flowers, and more, depending on the farm.
Community Supported Agriculture can be an excellent way to support a farm in your community. By joining a CSA, you are sharing in the risk of farming with the farmer, buying directly into the farm, and helping to guarantee a market and income for the farmer for that year. What are the benefits for you of being a part of a CSA?
Health: Research shows that CSA shareholders generally eat more vegetables- and end up having better health outcomes, even if their goal in getting a CSA wasn’t originally related to health.
Convenience: Many CSA participants point out that it’s a convenient way to get consistent access to fresh, local produce, especially for those in more suburban or urban areas. Many farms offer pickup in neighborhoods or community centers, and some even offer home delivery.
Affordability: While CSAs may be hard for some because of the upfront cost, most CSA shares are very affordable when you break down the cost of produce over the course of the whole season. Many farms even offer installment plans so you can pay over time.
Quality: CSA participants consistently say that the quality of produce from their shares, as a fresh, local product, is far greater than anything they could find at the grocery store.
Thinking about participating in CSA? It’s important to point out that getting the most out of your CSA share may require a bit of extra effort. First, you’re going to get a lot of produce in a CSA share - sometimes more than you may know what to do with. Learning how to freeze, preserve, and pickle your vegetables will go a long way toward making sure you get the most out of your share. Second, your CSA share will probably include vegetables you’ve never tried before. Things like kohlrabi, beets, and garlic scape may not be on your regular grocery list! Overall, being a part of a CSA means eating more fresh produce - and often that takes an adjustment.
Many farms include recipe cards and preserving instructions along with your share and most farms also have active social media and email communication to help you get the most out of your share. There are also lots of great resources online on how to use everything you would get in a CSA share, such as this vegetable guide and other resources from the Kentucky Farm Share Coalition and Kentucky Proud’s seasonal produce guide.
Ultimately, CSAs can be a great way to get consistent, affordable access to fresh vegetables while knowing where their food comes from and supporting a farm in their local community. Find a Kentucky Proud CSA Farm near you HERE.