If you are not a gardener but enjoy delicious, locally grown vegetables, consider joining a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). Or perhaps, you are in a place in your life where gardening is not possible because of time, available garden space, or a recent injury.
What is a CSA?
A farmer may choose to run a community supported agriculture program. At the beginning of the season, a member (you) purchases a share in the farm's CSA program. Each week or every other week, a vegetable pick-up or delivery is arranged by the farmer for all of the share members to pick up their vegetables. Depending on where you live, the season length determines how may weeks from spring until fall that a summer CSA program operates. Winter CSA programs are becoming more prevalent, even in Northern areas.
Challenges and Benefits of a Share Member
A CSA share can be a great way to preserve some of the harvest for the winter months without having a garden to grow your own produce. In addition, you are supporting the local farming community. Buy fresh! Buy local!
The greatest challenge that most share members experience is learning how to cook new vegetables and using all of the vegetables in their share box. To help with this Hampshire College's CSA program has provided a number of free recipes. Many CSA programs distribute their own recipes and there are a number of cookbooks available for those who want to cook and eat by the seasons.
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