Decisions, decisions: choosing a CSA program

Thursday, January 10, 2008

It’s around that time when people who have opted to participate in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs have to choose a program and buy a share.  Last Summer, contributors wrote about their CSA shares through Lancaster Farm Fresh, Blooming Glen Farm, and Red Earth Farm.  There are a huge number of CSA programs in the area, though - when I plugged in my zip code to Local Harvest, 31 listings popped up!  No doubt, there are many other CSA programs not listed on Local Harvest, too.

If you’re not familiar with the concept of a CSA, the quick and dirty is that you pay the farmer up front for a share in what the farmer produces during the typical produce farming season and then you pick up your share for the week at a specific location.  The benefits to the farmer are that he/she/they get a fair price for the food they grow and it enables them to maintain their farms far better than more traditional sales models.  The benefits to you (the CSA member) are insane amounts of super fresh produce (usually picked within hours of your share pick up) that is often grown organically and sustainably, plus you know exactly where your food is coming from.  Sometimes you can find a CSA who offers other things for sale through the share program - eggs, meat, and milk, for instance.

Sadly, many CSA programs get overlooked simply because they have no online presence.  The information about crops typically included, price, duration of share period, pick up locations, etc. might not be readily available on the farm’s website and we move on until we find a program that does have all that stuff easily accessible.  I’m as guilty of that as anyone - I picked my CSA program last year not based on reputation or crops typically included in a share, but simply because Lancaster Farm Fresh had the most information available online and the pick up spot was super convenient for me.

I think the majority of FTP contributors are really happy with the CSA programs they participated in last year (and years prior).  I had a pretty good experience with Lancaster Farm Fresh, but variety is the spice of life and all that - I think we’re going to try something new this year.  Right now we’re waffling between Landisdale Farm’s CSA program (that offers a pick up on Saturday mornings at the Clark Park Farmer’s Market) and the CSA program at Red Hill Farm (the share is picked up at the farm, which isn’t too far away from our house...I’m just not sure yet what day of the week it is).  Obviously, I still have lots of homework to do before the final decision is made!

Now that I’ve gone one season participating in a CSA, I can’t imagine not being in one.  I truly loathe the grocery store, and I like the surprise of not knowing exactly what you’ll get in your share from week to week.  It definitely encouraged me to be more creative, try new recipes, and spend time preserving what I couldn’t eat in a week.

No doubt one day all of our local CSA programs will have an online presence with plenty of information immediately available.  Until that time, though, we’re going to have to do things the old fashioned way: pick up the phone.