Are CSA Worth It

[chickenjoe]

Is there any cost saving to CSA ? Also Lot of them Describe what you get is enought to feed a family of 2 or 4. What would that equate to in lbs or ounces.

 

[Shiloh Acres]

Can you ask for specific details of a typical share?

I've never gotten a CSA but there used to be a produce company with a weekly "large box" and "small box" and they would list exactly what and how many came in each.

Edited embarrassing spell-correct.

 

[kitchwitch]

Here is the nitty gritty, written for farmers interested in starting a CSA. It'll give you an insight into what they have to consider as far as how much to give and how to price it.

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/SustAg/csaguide.html

ETA: there's probably little to no cost savings with a CSA. You might even pay MORE with a CSA, but all your fruit and veg provided by the CSA will be grown locally. So it's a question of do you want your tomatoes from Chile, or do you want them from the next town over?

 

[abifae]

My CSA will list the amounts you are likely to get, but you have to remember that if weather is bad, or crops have an issue, you do just lose your money.

However, you also know where your food is coming from and directly support local farming

Some in CO let you work on the farm to offset the cost.

 

[me&thegals]

In the interest of full disclosure, I will first say I am a CSA farmer.

It's hard to compare CSAs, as "share" sizes flux throughout the season. I would say across an entire season, my customers are getting much better prices than if they bought organic produce at Whole Foods, for example. Because I look each of them in the face every single week as I hand over their food, I care very, very much that it is beautiful, fresh and a good value.

Plus, my customers (and nearly all CSA customers) are getting added value in the form of on-farm activities like pesto making, potlucks, corn processing days, canning classes, weekly newsletters, a community-building atmosphere with other customers, etc.

I also offer ways for my families to bring down their price through helping on the farm, OR they can exchange 4 hours weekly for all their food.

But, you cannot compare the prices in a factory food system with the prices in an organic, local food system. Unless you want your local farmers to be doing as poorly as other farmers who grow factory food. And unless you are fine with the land in your community being conventional with all the goodies that chemicals and GMO bring with them.

Another caveat: In my area, nearly all CSAs are organic or certified organic. So, CSA automatically is a much different farming system than the conventional grain growers around it.

Here are what I look for in a potentially happy customer:
1. Loves to cook, or is excited to learn.
2. Enjoys surprises.
3. Is not too picky.

As for abifae's comment on losing money, it is true that CSA is supposed to be a shared risk between the farmer and the customer. However, when I feel lack of a crop has been my error, I buy certified organic from my peer farmers so that my customers don't go without (at no extra charge to them). One year I lost my tomatoes due to blight, but I got all my FIL's and subbed those instead. It really depends on the farm. We have high ground, so we never lose crops due to flooding, although many in our area do.

Good luck!

 

[Ohioann]

We have participated in CSA for three years. The first two were traditional, pay a fee and get a basket each week. They had two sizes of baskets and we got the smaller one since there are just two of us. The produce was good, the quanities were good and sometimes very generous. I used fresh for daily use and processed (canning, freezing) any that we could not use right away. Don't know if I saved much over grocery store BUT we supported a local farmer, got fresh (not shipped all over the country) produce and we ate more veggies because I did not want to waste anything. Last year Iand again this year) we participated in a CSA where we paid a seed share in cash and a couple hours of labor a week in a huge local organic garden owned by a vegetarian. The variety of produce was amazing and plentiful. It was a great experience and we learned to eat some new veggies. The quanity was greater than the previous CSA so I was able to preserve more that we have been enjoying this winter. Definate savings over grocery store but more time consumming because of the labor component. Not as traditional way of doing a CSA but it worked really well for the 8 or so families involved.

 

[chickenone]

I have gotten food from a CSA and in my opinion, the experience is priceless. You can't put a monetary value on the benefit of eating freshly picked vegetables, many of which you may never have tried otherwise, grown by a farmer who is willing to discuss their growing philosophy with you. It's not about the money. It's about our health and the health of the planet, and the health of the local agrarian economy.

All in all, it's a deal you can't beat.

 

[abifae]

As for abifae's comment on losing money, it is true that CSA is supposed to be a shared risk between the farmer and the customer. However, when I feel lack of a crop has been my error, I buy certified organic from my peer farmers so that my customers don't go without (at no extra charge to them). One year I lost my tomatoes due to blight, but I got all my FIL's and subbed those instead. It really depends on the farm. We have high ground, so we never lose crops due to flooding, although many in our area do.

Good luck!

Yes, and I definitely meant that as a risk, not "you tend to lose money".

I'm hoping to be able to afford to do all my produce CSA next year. This year is too tight

 

[me&thegals]

I have gotten food from a CSA and in my opinion, the experience is priceless. You can't put a monetary value on the benefit of eating freshly picked vegetables, many of which you may never have tried otherwise, grown by a farmer who is willing to discuss their growing philosophy with you. It's not about the money. It's about our health and the health of the planet, and the health of the local agrarian economy.

All in all, it's a deal you can't beat.

Chickenone--that's awesome!

I can tell you I'm not getting rich from doing CSA, but my CSA families are SO happy that it seroiusly keeps me motivated year after year. People are thrilled to get foods they can't find elsewhere (purple potatoes, striped beets, yellow watermelon) and lots of help in using things they haven't had before (kale, chard, celeriac, Jerusalem artichokes).

It's a very mutually satisfactory relationship. I was just telling my husband the other day that I feel like a small-town rockstar. People get very excited about CSAs and the farmers, and I feel like this is THE time right now for them, when people are more and more conscious of their food and where it comes from.

Great thread. I'm getting all energized!

 

[me&thegals]

ohioanne and chickenone--May I ask if you plan to do CSA this year? If not, why? Abifae--is it only money that will prevent you this year? If you could be subsidized, would you do it?

In our area, we have MACSAC (www.macsac.org) that is a huge advocate for CSAs. If you belong, your members are qualified for $100-200 rebates from their health insurance companies. Plus, MACSAC does a huge fundraiser, and low-income people/families can get half their share paid for through that.