Know where your food is grown

by Danielle Soroczak, Farm Manager, Crown Point Ecology Center

The next best thing to growing your own fresh, organic produce is to have someone local do it for you. That’s the basis of a Community Share Agriculture program, commonly known as CSA. For those who don’t have the time, space, or desire to grow their own food, CSAs are the perfect partnership between farmer and consumer. 

There’s nothing quite like bringing home certified organic and sustainably-grown vegetables, herbs, and berries. Even better is knowing exactly where your food comes from, who grew it and how it was grown. These are the some of the many benefits of CSA. You may have never heard of CSAs but they are available across the nation and across the world.

The way a CSA program works is people buy “shares” of a farm’s harvest in advance and then receive a portion of the crops as they’re harvested. This offers farmers important early-season capital and a guaranteed market for their produce.

There are many advantages to being a CSA shareholder, including chemical-free, field-fresh produce, overall lower food costs, and greater access to a diversified choice of fruits and vegetables you may not find in grocery stores. 

When a plant or vegetable is “organically grown,” this essentially means that the plant has been grown, harvested and processed without using synthetic chemicals. When a plant or vegetable is “Certified Organic,” it must comply with strict standards that cover all aspects of the processing chain, ensuring that the organic integrity is maintained from the seed through the growing, harvesting, storage, transporting and processing stages. 

Not only does being a CSA shareholder have a positive impact on you and your family, but you directly support the efforts of a local farm. You can even develop a relationship with the farmer. This way you and your family can learn more about how food is grown and what you are eating. When children can see their food growing they might even be more accepting of eating their veggies! 

Some CSAs offer more than fruits and vegetables. Eggs, honey, flowers, and even poultry and other meats can be part of a vibrant CSA program. 

Most CSAs require an annual or quarterly buy-in and provide weekly deliveries or pick-ups, but some programs offer monthly or even weekly “memberships.” 

It’s a simple enough idea, but its impact has been profound. Tens of thousands of families have joined CSAs, and in some areas of the country there is more demand than there are CSA farms to fill it.

CSAs are a win-win for both consumers and farmers. In our area, Crown Point Ecology Center in Bath offers an established certified organic CSA program. For more information, go to www.crownpointcology.org or call 330-668-8992.

Opinions and claims expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of ScripType Publishing.