CSAs 101: How to Choose the Best One for You

Curious about how to get more involved with local food in your community? It might be time to consider joining a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. Keep reading to learn about what a CSA is, why you might benefit from participating in one and how to find the perfect option for you.

What Is a CSA?

The USDA defines a CSA as “a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes […] the community’s farm with the growers and consumer providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production.”

In simpler terms? Customers can pre-purchase a share of the harvest from a local farmer and receive fresh and delicious produce (and occasionally other goods) throughout the season.

This mutually beneficial system ensures farmers can run an economically sustainable business and provides consumers with healthy and affordable food from their own community. Participants can also enjoy eating seasonally and knowing they’re not contributing to the normal transportation and packaging costs associated with food that travels from other parts of the country to their neighborhood grocery shelves.

See more: What is a CSA?

Who Benefits From CSAs?

If you’re wondering if you might benefit from joining a CSA, consider some of the following questions.

• Do you want to eat healthier?
• Does seasonal eating appeal to you?
• Do you want to support your local economy?
• Do you enjoy shopping at farmers markets?

If you can answer yes to any of those questions, you’ll probably love joining a local CSA. Having access to quality food that is often picked just hours before its arrival at your door is a wonderful way to eat healthy, seasonal foods, support the farmers and producers in your neighborhood, and experiment with ingredients you may not gravitate towards during your regular grocery store trips.

There’s also something very rewarding about purchasing food directly from the people who grew it. This business model helps you develop a deeper appreciation for the food on your plate and the farmers, ranchers and other producers in your community.

You can also say goodbye to wasting time at the grocery store trying to decide what to buy – and standing in long checkout lines. All the decisions are made in advance (thanks, nature). All that’s left to do is decide how you’re going to enjoy your bounty.

How to Choose the Right CSA

There are a few different CSA models out there, and none are necessarily better than the others. Choosing which one is right for you will depend on your budget, how much food you want and what’s available in your area.

Traditional CSAs are one of the simplest and most straightforward models out there. In most situations, you pay a subscription fee at the beginning of the season and receive a share of the harvest each week in return.

Market-style CSAs still involve you paying a subscription fee. But rather than receiving a box of pre-determined produce, you go to the farm and choose what you want to take home from all that was harvested that week.

Flexible Week CSAs allow you to choose how many (and which) weeks you want to receive a share of the harvest. This works really well for people who just want to dip their toes in the water or who are out of town often.

What Do CSA Boxes Include?

The beauty of CSA boxes is they are rarely the same. What you find in your box will depend on what is in season, what grows on the farm and how many people participate in the harvest share.

You’ll need to inquire with the specific farm you want to purchase from about what you can expect to receive in your box. But a few things you might find, based on the season, could include everything from leafy greens and radishes to turnips, potatoes and pumpkins. You may also receive fresh herbs or specialty farm products like eggs or milk.

See more: Community Supported Agriculture in North Carolina

Finding a CSA Near You

If the thought of buying local produce from a farmer in your area sounds right up your alley, the only thing left to do is research the options available near you. There are thousands of farms selling products directly to consumers with this model, so with any luck you can find something within a short drive of your home.

You can easily use a search engine to find CSAs near you. But if you want a little more guidance, check out localharvest.org. Farmers can list their farms and CSAs for free on this platform, which makes it an easy place to begin your search.