I've been counting the days when the lettuce, tomatoes and carrots I eat won't be coming from across the country, but just across town. There's a big difference between fresh from the grocery store and just picked that morning. Starting next month my family will be getting a box full of locally grown, organic fruits and vegetables every week until October.
It's our first summer as a member of a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm. We found out about it last summer at the local farmers market from an organic farming family. It didn't take much to convince us to join.
Specifically, a CSA is a system that benefits farmers and the members, who join by usually paying in advance for the upcoming season's harvest. This gives the farmer the resources to purchase seeds and plant crops. While members share in the plentiful bounty, they also share in the risks. Many CSA farms encourage members to visit or volunteer their time.
If buying your produce fresh and local is important to you, then you may want to check out the links below to find the closest CSA in your area.
Find a CSA Farm:
Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association CSA listings http://www.biodynamics.com/csa.html
Local Harvest
http://www.localharvest.org/csa/
NewFarm Farm Locator
http://newfarm.org/farmlocator/index.php
Wilson College, Robyn Van En Center CSA Farm Database
http://www.wilson.edu/wilson/asp/content.asp?id=804
The Eat Well Guide
http://www.eatwellguide.org/
ATTRA - The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service
http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/localfood_dir.php
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Fresh and Local Produce Coming Soon
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1 comments:
Dear Deanne,
We just watched a program on the Sundance Channel called "Big Ideas for a Small Planet" and the one we saw was called "Eat". It was all about local, organic, sustainable farming. We vowed to change the way we ate. It was great to see your article and links. Thanks for the informative blog.
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