Support local Farmers - Community Supported Agriculture

[sulis]

Hi ladies (and gents)

I wanted to share a great recent find.
I have been increasingly concerned by the constant construction of new housing and business developments in my area. It saddens me to see local farmers whose land is perceived to be more valuable than the goods they produce - so they are forced to sale.

Through my research I found a great program called Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Basically, we as consumers buy shares into a local participating farm at the beginning of the season. And throughout the summer harvest each week we get returns in the form of yummy, locally grown, often organically grown, produce. Yes, its more expensive than buying fruits and veggies at that big chain meg mart. But by buying locally grown food, we keep local agriculture alive, and in return get better quality produce.

If you are interested, here is a website to tell you all about it and help you find a CSA in your area. I signed up for one today and am very excited for the summer months.

http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/csa/csa.shtml

If you don't have a CSA in your area - maybe you can find a store that buys locally grown produce and throw your support their way.

If anyone else signs up for a CSA or has participated one before...let's share our experiences.

Hopefully we can get this grass roots movement growing to help bolster our local farming communities.

[mimitabby]

this year will be either our 3rd or 4th year supporting a farm share. It's all local produce, all organic. Coming from one place, if there's a crop failure, you don't get any of that particular thing. But it's fun and it feels good.
Every week we look forward to the surprises in the box; and hope there isn't more of ... whatever veggie isn't reallly our favorite.

[Thorn]

We always try to support local. Our local co-op will actually tells us "miles to market" on produce, cheeses, etc.

And, if supporting by buying and eating isn't enough, I learned about this (sigh) after the fact (sigh)... http://www.macsac.org/bikethebarns/

[Trek420]

I grew up on a farm and have always enjoyed farmer markets. At 85 my Mom still walks into town to hers

It's right on so many levels. Wherever you are it protects local wetlands, wildlife and preserves open space. Local farms create jobs in our communitees and preserve local traditions and communitees.

You meet the farmer (or his/her employees), it's fun, social, educational. And it's not that much more expensive, really!!

On a harder to define new-age'y level it puts one more in touch with the earth (wooooooooo). It's not summer till you eat yourself sick on the first local peaches or cherries. It's not winter till I make soup of local squash. Seeing the first tomato in the market. Go out and taste produce that only ... grows....where ... you ... are, like Crane melons in Sonoma County.

You don't get that in the produce aisle of a supermarket.

[mimitabby]

but i'm not giving up chocolate.

[tinyhouse]

After buying organic (and local as often as we could) for many years my partner and I finally joined a CSA last year. We had been curious about CSA's and after seeing the movie "The Real Dirt on Farmer John" we felt compelled. It was a great experience. The produce was wonderful and the eggs were the freshest we have ever had. Delicious! For us CSA's are a good choice for several reasons: 1) Our health - by choosing not to consume pesticide grown produce 2) The local economy - by supporting farmers who are farming organically (and will hopefully also influence what local supermarkets buy and sell.) 3) It matches with our values of not wanting to support corporate giants including corporate farms who are depleting soils with detrimental farm practices and 4) Our food enjoyment: we love to cook and want to use the freshest organic ingredients - unless you grow your own (which we also do) it can't get any fresher than local!

[Brandi]

i always support our local farmers! I hardly ever buy from the market anymore. Unless there is something like mushrooms that I need. There is one guy who sells them but not always what I need. I would join something like the csa but I love talking to all the farmers. Some of them are now my friends. I got to go to our friends tamoto greenhouse last year. It was super cool! And now they are pressing thier own Olive oil! Which I have gotten to be a tast tester of! We are even more spoiled living here in California where we can get fresh veggi's year round too!

[tulip]

I found CSA quantities to be way too much for one person, even a half-share. Even when I was married, we found that alot went uneaten. Part of the problem--if you can call it that--is that I grow alot of my own produce in my little garden. It's amazing how much you can grow in a modest plot.

I shop at the local farmer's market, and I buy beef from a local cattle farm. I've met my future steaks, which could be a bit troubling for some folks, but I like knowing where my food comes from.

[tinyhouse]

Yes Tulip, you have a good point about quantity. We share ours with another couple. This works out well for a few reasons - 1) we split the quantity 2) we take turns picking the produce up and 3) they don't like onions so we swap veggies and everybody ends up with produce they like.

[shootingstar]

We try to buy as "close" as possible to the farmer, yes we cycle the market every week...and have been ever since I started biking.

My partner was a weekend cattle farmer for 10 years. When I first knew him, we did several cycling trips 100kms. each, 1 way to his farm from city (Toronto).

And it's interesting to make an effort to visit local farmer's markets if you are a tourist in another country/another state or province. Get a better sense of unique local products and produce.

My first exposure to farmer's markets (since I've always been a city gal) was growing up as a child and teen we went regularily to the farmers' markets in a predominantly Mennonite and German area: Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario. This is where my first sense from local history came from...

[OakLeaf]

I try to grow and can or dry as much as I have time and energy for, and then buy from local farmers in Ohio. I struggle with the latter, though, just because there's so much driving to and from the farm stands. I don't really consider the roads bikeable, and even if they were, I'm not sure what kind of shape a head of lettuce or a dozen eggs would be in after 15 or 20 miles in a pannier (And the farmers' markets always conflict with my recreational group rides - I hate having to choose!)

In Florida, for some stupid reason there is no local produce, even "farmers'" markets, except citrus in season, and occasionally somebody will have a bumper crop of greens to unload I could drive 25 miles one way to one "local" farm and 40 miles one way to another, and 40 miles in a different direction to get beef on the rare occasion I eat it, and I don't even know where to find local eggs, is as good as it gets. In a state where beef is a major agricultural product, the local natural food store gets theirs from Uruguay.

[kat_h]

My first exposure to farmer's markets (since I've always been a city gal) was growing up as a child and teen we went regularily to the farmers' markets in a predominantly Mennonite and German area: Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario. This is where my first sense from local history came from...

You mean St Jacob's and around there? My grandparents live in Stratford and when they could drive that was always their weekend outing.

In Calgary there's one big "farmers market" that mostly has produce trucked in from BC and the northwestern US. I don't think it counts as local when it comes from 500+ km away. That's partly just the reality of being in Calgary though. Not much grows here. There is another farmer's market that is 90% Hutterite and really good. At the right time of year there's potatoes, beets, and corn. Usually in October a truckload of Hutterites drive around my neighbourhood and sell turkeys, eggs, and root veggies straight from the truck. I always look forward to that.

[shootingstar]

kh: Have been to St. Jacob's market several times. Our family went to Kitchener Farmers' Market on Saturdays when I was growing up because it was closer to home. I have a good friend and some of her family who did work at both the St. jacob's and Kitchener markets. She is Mennonite...with a white cap on top of her bun.

We did a cycling trip that included K-W area including St. jacobs...long after I moved and lived in Toronto. It's a 100+ kms. ride from Toronto.

Until I moved out to London, Ontario for university (yes, have seen Shakespearean plays at Stratford), I didn't realize how German-Mennonite K-W's historical roots were. I took for granted the preponderance of classmates with German last names, older streets with German names..historically tied to founding Mennonites.

I still miss the whole area, Ontario for its beautiful, red-flaming autumns. Western Canada and pacific coast fall..is more flaming yellow deciduous trees.

I knew Calgary downtown by the river/bike path. My partner was forced to relocate to Calgary by his firm for 2 years...so I visited him and biked in the area several times.


Oakleaf: Re- Florida, there must be a good reason for not any/hardly any local markets.