Do you participate in a C.S.A. (community supported agriculture)? What has your experience been?

For the first three years, we bought the half-share, as we have three adults in the home. Because we had just moved into the house and we were new to the process, we wasted a lot of food that first summer. In the subsequent years, we’ve acquired canning equipment, a dehydrator, and a vacuum sealer.

Last summer, the farm started offering an individual share, and we also found a terrific Farmer’s Market that is a few miles from our home on Fridays. So for the coming season, we will continue to support our original farm but with just the individual share. We will then supplement with a CSA program from one of the organic farmers at the Market.

Her plan allows you to pre-pay into your account and then shop and choose as you normally would. The more you invest, the greater a percentage bonus is added into your account. I don’t remember the exact amounts, but as an example: if you invested $200, your account balance would be $225; but if you invested $400, your account balance would be $480. We like the flexibility of this option.

There’s a transitional organic, grass-fed, free range meat farm that has a similar structure that we’re considering participating in, as well.

No, there is a community garden in a neighboring community that operates on the honor system and I love stopping there and buying produce on summer evenings.
Cool gardens In Cool California. haha
Being a wine anf arming community here there is also a local food co-op and farmers market that carry, along with most of the local grocery stores, locally grown produce and fruits. There are designated “Farm Trail” signs all over this area, everything from grapes, veggies, walnuts, etc.

I have lived on rural properties for years and always grow my own. ;-)

Yes, I don’t have much land to grow a big garden. My folks get a plot every year and I’m tired of not having enough vegetables from my raised beds and pots. I’m planning on getting one this year. You get a large space and pay like some small trivial amount. They even water it for you.

I’ve worked for the largest CSA in our area for the past 2.5 years, and I’ve been super fortunate to get a free box every week as a result. It’s taken me about 1.5 to 2 years to really be in the habit of making use of most of the produce, and I know now that (with my box size) if I eat more than three meals out, I won’t finish my box.

We’ve gotten really sophisticated in the time that I’ve been here, though. When I came along, it was one box fitting all with the option of deleting one item that you didn’t like (such as cooking greens). Now, there are three box sizes, the boxes are completely customizable (up until 10 am the day before your delivery) and can include things such as nuts, chevre, flour, tortillas, eggs, beans, sugar, and rice. We just brought wine and hard cider online recently, and have long offered breads from local bakeries, meats, cheeses, coffee, honey and other items. We also do free home delivery in the larger cities in the area. It’s a pretty good thing.

The caveat, I suppose, is that we’re more of a hybrid CSA or buying cooperative. We farm 36 acres and only 2 of that is under greenhouses, so we buy a lot of organic produce from Arizona, Mexico and California. All in all, though, we get great produce, because it’s all grown for taste instead of shelf stability.

Yes. I participated in the winter and got lots of root vegetables and microgreens. I’ve skipped winter session since and am looking forward to joining this summer.

@Cupcake – How are the CSAs near you structured? Do they have different sizes of shares, do they pack it for you, or do you select what you bring home? Do you have to put in hours at the farm?

One thing I didn’t mention – the farm that we started out with originally had us go around and pick the produce with a list of how many we got for each share. The downside of that was if you were among the last to get to the farm, the stuff had been picked over. Last year they started pre-packing the boxes for us, so the items were handled less and it was randomized how pretty your tomatoes are.

They also have pick-your-own for cherry tomatoes and similar items, and cut your own flowers, but we don’t have to put in any time working the farm.

They do allow folks to share their shares, so some will alternate weeks with friends and neighbors. They now have corporate shares, as well, so companies can get a large amount for their cafeterias, or to distribute amongst their employees.

I live in a major metropolitan area, so I can’t go pick my own, and I have no land. I did subscribe to a weekly box from Farm Fresh To You, and I liked that it would arrive and I’d have lots of organic surprises. But the quality was woeful, stuff would arrive already spoiled. So after about 9 months of being disappointed, I stopped.

I recently joined Sustainable Produce Urban Delivery (S.P.U.D.) which has a broader selection of available products, including dairy and some packaged organic stuff. And I can choose what I want instead of getting a surprise box. I’ve been getting it since the end of January; my concern now is that it’s expensive, and since I live within walking distance of a grocery store, it’s not like I have to go out of my way to get what I need when I need it.

@hearkat We have all of those in our area. The one I joined has an individual or a family share (we do individual for a family of 4). It’s about $25 a week. No service required. You choose your pickup location. Certain pick-up locations offer pre-boxed produce for an additional fee. Otherwise, you show up with lots of bags and follow the directions (take 1 bag of this, take 10 lbs of that, these are extra – take whatever you want, etc.). There are additional bread/meat/eggs/fancy cheese/local pasta shares that you can either buy ongoing or one-time. It takes a bit longer, but I really like picking out my own food. On many items, they give you a (small) range of items or pounds to pick, so I can take more of what I want and less of what I don’t. Or I can pick the bigger/smaller potatoes.

This one is made up of a number of local farms and provides a variety of fruit and vegetables during the summer (definitely veggie-heavy in the winter).

I’m not sure that it’s cheaper than going to the public market (we have an award-winning one in our area), but will be far more convenient with a toddler and newborn this summer!!

We were forced to eat some new foods last winter, which was pretty great (other than the bok choy, which I always seemed to avoid until it was very wilty).

@Cupcake – I like the idea of farms going in on the CSA together!