By Joni Garcia
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a fairly new concept. CSA’s started in the 80’s as a way to support local agriculture. Since then, they have become more and more popular, which we can likely attribute to people getting more interested in supporting their local farmers, decreasing their carbon footprint, and realizing that fruits and veggies in season just taste better!
When someone signs up for a membership for a CSA, they essentially buy a share of the farm’s production for the growing season. The foods provided in the share depend on whatever the farm produces. It’s usually an assortment of produce and may include some extra special products made from the fruits and veggies grown, like jams and jellies. It’s a great way to experiment with produce you may not normally try.
Types of Memberships
There are various types of memberships available with a CSA. Traditionally, a consumer buys their CSA share at the start of the growing season and then they pick up their goodies on a regular basis (usually weekly) at the farm or another pick up site. A full share usually includes an assortment of 8-12 different vegetables (and maybe fruit). The farm decides what is provided to their CSA members based on what foods are available. Many farms offer full shares and half shares, which include 4-6 different varieties of produce. This is a great option for smaller families.
More farms are also offering market shares. With this type of share, the consumer pays for a share of the farm at the start of the season, like the traditional model, but they are provided with a debit card to use when shopping at the farm or Farmers Market. The Market Share shopper chooses what foods they want based on what is available. Farms usually throw in a few extra goodies for market share holders free of charge.
How Do I Get Involved?
Many farmers at the Yardley Farmers’ Market offer CSA’s to their shoppers, and you may still be able to sign up. The following farmers at Yardley Farmers' Market are offering CSA’s to shoppers. Click to view their website or speak to them at our Farmers' Market.