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Hey i live in the central valley so we have lots of this stuff!
my friend actually does it and she loves it! and i've been thinking about joining because i am so lazy to do grocery shopping.
Here is the one by me.
For Family:
Feeds for 2:
Last year my FI and I were part of a CSA and I really liked it. Ours just gave out vegetables and you picked-up once a week. It broke down to something like $24 per week and ran from June until October. Each week we got something wildly different, and the beginning and end of the season was a little more sparse.
Here is a link to the CSA we were a part of. They have examples on their website of what they gave out, such as:
The September 17, 2010 share: 6 ears of corn, 1 red onions, 2 yellow onions, 1 last summer squash, 1 bunch swiss chard, 2 lbs Adirondack blue potatoes, ½ lb green beans, ½ lb mesclun salad mix, 1 bunch radish, 1 bell pepper, 1 hot pepper, 1 head garlic, 1 bunch cilantro, 2 red slicing tomatoes, and 1 large heirloom tomato.
The October 17, 2010 share: 1 Acorn winter squash, 2 yellow onions, 2 red onions, 1 bunch Swiss chard, 1 bunch spinach, 2 lbs potatoes, 1 head baby lettuce, 1 bunch brocolli side-shoots, 3 turning red slicer tomatoes, 1 head garlic, 1 bunch parsley.
This year we decided not to do it again since we are going to be going away so much this summer. Also, it was quite a bit of food last year when there were 3 people living here, nevermind this year when it's just my FI and I. I really liked it and am VERY likely to join a CSA in the future.
EDIT: I live in Eastern New York and our CSA used organic practices, even though it wasn't certified.
I did last year. It was $20 for a paper-bag filled with food.
I won't be doing it again this year. The CSA I joined had the same thing over and over and over. (I like corn on the cob, but my fiance and I simply cannot each 10+ ears of corn per week for weeks on end!)
I still support local farmers in other ways. I shop at the farmer's market. And there's also a company in my town that delivers local pastured grass-fed meat to your doorstep, that's how I get most of my meat.
This will be our 4th year--we did 2 years with a CSA in Brooklyn, and we're on our 2nd year now of a CSA in the Boston suburbs. The farm here is so much better! We liked the CSA in NY but we LOVE our CSA here.
We pay about $750/season and split the share (and the cost) with FI's parents--so we pay $375/season for the two of us. We get half a bushel (a huge amount) of veggies to split each week and they are awesome.
Some sample CSA shares from various weeks last summer:
June:
August:
November:
I am paying about $480 for a half-share delivered in Northern Virginia. It's plenty for 2 people for a week, and it's really nice to get my veggies delivered at work. The farm I use is on Paypal, and they offer monthly payments over 6 months, which is nice.
I really really really want to! Right now I just go to the Farmer's Market. We are home to "The largest producer-only farmers' market in the country." Opens this Saturday! But I do think CSAs are wonderful- we have one here that includes unlimited raspberries and tomatoes if you pick your own. I think it is totally worth it, the health and supporting local farmers, if you can- DO IT!
We just bought our first this year!! Our boxes start coming in June, we get one box each week June - November and it cost us $350, which equates to about $14/week I think is what we worked out. Not bad! That's half what we pay for produce each week normally, and we'll be getting even more this way. We decided to go for the full box instead of the half share, because the "half share" was just a full box every other week instead of a small box every week -- and we figured that by the end of week 2 we'd either run out or half of it would go bad. I'm just hoping the two of us can eat a full box each week! I bought from this farm at the market all last year during the growing season and their produce is TO DIE FOR, I'm so glad we were able to do CSA with them this year.
It's nice to know so many of you ladies belong to a CSA and have had positive experiences! :)
There are two that we're looking at right now.
One is just starting to do it this year and will allow us to have vegetables and fruits in one share. But I haven't been able to get a pricing out of them yet. I have a feeling they are maybe waiting to see how many are willing to commit before stating a share price. This one is not organic now but do plan to be in the next couple years.
Another I found out via a coworker who has been part of them for about 2 years and she's been quite happy. This one is either just vegetables or just fruits. And they also have a Beef & Pork option which we might consider. This is a fully organic one. And for a small share of vegetables it comes out to about $17/week? Which isn't too bad.
Is that the full share you get or your portion after splitting it with your future in laws?
That sucks that you got the same things over and over again. Maybe there are other farms that do CSA as well?
@Gerbera: In most cases, that's the full share...we get about 30 pounds/week to split, so we wind up paying $375 for the season (June 1 through Thanksgiving) and getting about 15 pounds/week, on average. Later in the season it's more by weight (because things like butternut squash, celeriac, and potatoes are heavy) and earlier it's higher volume (lots and lots of yummy lettuce blends, which they fit in the box by smooshing them into ziplocks. Somehow the lettuce is never bruised.)
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aka Community supported Agriculture?
I'm looking into one right now. Waiting to hear back on pricing and just wondering what I should expect the price to be around.
How much do you pay per share and how much do you get each time? Roughly.
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For those that are unfamiliar with the concept (from HERE):
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has become a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer. Here are the basics: a farmer offers a certain number of "shares" to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a "membership" or a "subscription") and in return receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.
Advantages for farmers:
Advantages for consumers: