Dreams of Joining a CSA

For 2012, one of my goals is to write more posts about our attempts, successes, and fails at living an eco-friendly life. We have been talking with another family about joining a CSA, which stands for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). A CSA is a group of individuals who pledge to support a local farming operation where the growers and the consumers share the risks and the benefits of food production. A CSA consists of a system of weekly delivery or pick-up of vegetables and/or fruit.

I have been wanting to join a CSA for several years, even before I become "green." Honestly, I have been overwhelmed and did not know how to approach deciding on which CSA to join. So many options, so many decisions. How much of a share do we get? What produce will we get and eat? When and where do we need to pick up the box of produce? Do we need to put in a certain number of hours on farm? I decided to throw out all of the decision criteria and analysis I always do and just go with it!

We choose a CSA based on a convenient schedule and pick up time and because they use organic growing practices. The first year will be trial and error as we figure out what works and what does not work for us. I am excited about eating local and organic produce because the flavors will be out of this world! Our next step is to write a check and submit the application. I pray that this will finally be the year my CSA dreams will come true!

If you are interested in identifying CSAs in your area, check out Local Harvest (this is not a sponsored post, Local Harvest is a good resource).