Fresh Produce: Direct From Local Farm to Your Kitchen

March 21, 2013

written by Cathy Baker, mom of two tweens, one who loves fruits and the other who loves veggies!

I have a friend who did this last year and is signing up for it again. I’ll admit, I haven’t jumped on board quite yet, but I’m very intrigued by the idea! I loved hearing about all her fresh vegetables and juicy, sweet fruits she received every week.

Millsap Farm, Springfield, MO

Have you ever heard of Community Support Agriculture?

Here’s the general idea…local farmers grow the produce, fruits, raise meats, even some bakery items. You buy into a share for the season…around here I think our season goes from May to October. And every week you pickup your local items straight from the farmer! How awesome is that?! All the healthy benefits of gardening, without the need to actually maintain your own garden all year, and with no middle man – you know exactly where your food comes from!

You do have to pay for the entire share upfront, and costs and products vary greatly by region. They limit the number of ‘shares’ you can purchase – like our local farm, Millsap Farms, has 100 shares available this year. (Note: picture above is from their website, and they have more details of how the program works, if you want more info.) In some areas, I hear these shares can sell out quickly, so it’s best to sign up early in the year, before actual pickup season begins!

This website, www.localharvest.org has a searchable database of over 4,000 participating farms in the United States! Wow! I bet you can find one close to you! And just think of all that fresh, healthy, ‘yumminess’ you can serve your family this year!

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Category: Cookin', For Moms, Garden, Random and Fun
Tags: fresh produce |

2 Comments »

Joanne Schenendorf
on March 22, 2013 6:39 pm
I did this last season on :Long Island and plan to do it again. I shared a “share” with a friend so we wouldn’t have so much each week and we took turns picking it up. Besides getting “normal” vegetables, I was introduced to so many new ones that I hadn’t even seen before!! The woman who ran our CSA emailed us every week with tips on how to store, cook and use the veggies, including recipes so I was very busy trying and eating new things all season. It def forced me to get my 5-7 each day!! I highly recommend it.It’s not just good for us personally but so great to support local farmers.. Mine was organic and the prices were def better than buying organic in the store.
Marykate
on March 25, 2013 8:18 pm
I have had friends do this too and they had a great experience – some did produce, other salmon, some meat. It is so important to know where our food is coming from, and how it is being produced. And then what a great thing to support local farmers and small farms.