We're All In This Together

I believe that one of the simplest, most important, and most significant ways that an individual can go green is through a reevaluation of the food they eat and where that food comes from. The subject of food is can be a highly charged emotional issue, but it is far too important to ignore. I will be venturing into the risky waters of a discussion of vegetarianism in the future, but for today I’m going to keep things a bit simpler. Today I would like to discuss Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).

What is CSA? Basically, CSA is a way for just about anyone to buy locally grown fruits and vegetables from a local farm. You purchase a share in the farm, and every week throughout the summer you can pick-up or have delivered to your home a box of fresh farm products. Not only do you get to reduce your carbon footprint and support a local farm, but you get the absolute freshest, tastiest, and best food. Yes, it’s even better than Whole Foods!

I signed up for a CSA program this spring, and began receiving shipments several weeks ago from this farm in Dartmouth, MA. I will continue to get a box delivered to my front door every Monday by the New Amsterdam Project’s tricycle trucks (check out the video on their website!).

I paid $500 for 20 weeks of deliveries. If you compare how much money you spend every week on produce, you’ll see is not too bad, considering the amount of food and the cost of delivery. If you live close enough to the farm that you can pick up your share on your own, you’ll save about $150.

Now we get to the most important part: what do you get in a weekly shipment? I’m glad you asked! I just received an email from the farm this morning, and this week my shipment includes:

• Arugula
• Onions (2 kinds)
• Zucchini
• Summer Squash
• Green Beans
• Loaf of bread
  

In the past, I’ve had fresh bread, homemade jam, farm fresh eggs, lots of greens and assorted vegetables, and some of the juiciest and best strawberries I’ve ever eaten. From week to week, you always get what’s in season. Sometimes that isn’t always easy—you may not know what you’re getting or even what it is that you have in your hand. One week I was so confused I had to scurry off to Google to find out what I was eating (they were pea tendrils that I ended up mixing in with my other salad greens).

Although I may sometimes be perplexed, I always think of the variety as a positive. You can really take advantage of the freshest ingredients. And you get to experiment with new foods and find new recipes. Being aware of what you are eating and where it comes from is essential to being an engaged person, and the CSA box can get out thinking in a number of different ways.

There are several reasons that concepts Community Supported Agriculture are becoming more popular. You always know exactly where your food is coming from, and how often can you really say that? If you aren’t sure how important that is, think about that salmonella scare we just had that made tomatoes disappear from plates across the country. Plus you’re supporting local farms and local business. And finally, you reduce your carbon footprint. Instead of travelling from Mexico or California, my produce comes from about 60 miles away.

There are of course many ways to think about your food and where it comes from. Famers’ markets are a great example. I can tell you, though, that it’s a great feeling to live in an urban area, but still be able to have farm fresh veggies on my table that were picked literally hours before. I can speak to the success that I have had with my CSA experience.

Community Supported Agriculture has started to catch on across the country, as this New York Times article on the subject proves. If you are curious about how more details on how this works, check out the Silverbrook Farms site, this Times article, or just send me an email.