Has anyone joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)? I used to think that any community farm scheme would involve a lot of rather too challenging volunteer work – I had a vision of my husband and I spending our precious sundays, knee deep in dirt and then coming home to tend our calloused hands- all for a bunch of misshapen carrots and some wilted chard! I’ve been thrilled to find out that this really isn’t the case and that joining one of these outfits is fabulously easy. I have just joined one, which is a few miles from Los Angeles and I will start getting weekly deliveries in January. It is a farm that offers humanely reared poultry and meat and obviously eschews the use of growth hormones and antibiotics. Having done my calculations, it works out that I will be saving quite a bit over the course of the year. Typically, good quality meat really racks up the grocery bill, so I tend to avoid buying meat nowadays unless I absolutely know and trust it’s source. I have also reduced my family’s meat consumption by at least 50% which is better for the pocketbook, our health and our planet.
Would love to hear your experiences of joining a CSA and for those of you who want to check out your options, go to www.localharvest.org It’s a really cool website where you click on your area on a little map and all your nearest CSA’s, offering a variety of foods, will come up.
I had a co-worker that put out a link to the CSAs in our area. We’re really blessed because our insurance pays for a $300 wellness benefit when you join a CSA. This was our first year and definitely not our last. Our CSA is mostly fruits, veggies and spices. We go to the farm every other week June through November and pick up our packages. Our kids love helping put the food into our cooler or cloth bags. The people that own the farm are very friendly and willing to answer lots of questions.