How To Choose a CSA
A CSA, or community supported agriculture is one of the main ways you can buy directly from a farmer. You essentially subscribe to a farm at the beginning of the year, and then during the growing season you receive a box of produce about every week in return.
I talk a bit about the Pros and Cons of joining a CSA here. Trust me though, they're awesome.
I wanted to write a quick guide on how to choose a local farm, in case any of you were interested in trying it out this year.
This was our process for choosing a CSA.
Research the local options
The internet is actually a really great place to find out what farms are offering CSA shares near you. CSAs have been picking up momentum recently and most of the farmers behind them seem to be relatively young. This means that they generally know how to use the internet as an outreach tool. About thirty seconds of googling landed me on a internet directory of CSA farms located in Utah. Here's one for Maine, one for the Portland area, and here's a search tool that helps you find one across the nation.
I think you get the idea.
Using the Utah-centric directory I found several found several farms with pick up locations in my area.
Price comparions
Comparing prices amongst CSA's can get a little tricky. There are a lot of variables going into the process. The fee can be anywhere from 400 to 700 hundred dollars, but the season lengths are different.
For instance: Here's a farm that has the share divided into four separate seasons, which is a good option for those who aren't sure they'll like using a CSA. Here's one that offers exactly one 20 week season over the summer. It's a good idea to look at what's in your price range and see if the season length matches your needs.
Different shares are also meant to feed different numbers of people. Most are meant for 1-2 people, but a few are meant for 3 or 4 instead.
It helps to break the cost down into a weekly per person charge for comparison purposes.
Compare Foods
A lot of farms will list a typical share at different periods over the summer. Or they'll simply list the types of foods that they grow. Look at your potential farms and see if the foods look a little too adventurous for you and your family. If 90% of the food doesn't seem like something you would eat I recommend taking your money elseware.
Some farms actually offer more than veggies, usually as in separate series of shares, or in additional weekly fee. If it's possible to get all the foods your family needs it might be worthwhile to pay a little more.
Extra Considerations
What happens to your share if you're planning on going out of town for a few days? What happens if you forget to pick your food up? Different farms have different policies when it comes to something like that. It pays to be honest about your organizational skills and plans and find one that is flexible enough for you.
Additionally, a few farms will let you pay the fee in installments over the season. This helps make the whole CSA thing more approchable to a lot of families. B.U.G. Farms is the one that does that in my area. They are also one of the most expensive farms, so I'm guessing those two things are correlated.
A few awesome, awesome farms, will offer a work exchange program. Via this program you can work on the farm in exchange for food instead of paying the fee. This is a great deal for anyone who has the time on their hands and the desire to garden. BUG Farms is the winner here as well.
I'm actually going to be able to participate in BUG farms work exchange program this year. It starts next week and I'm super excited. This "internship" (as I like to call it) will be really great experience for me. I mean, I want to do what they're doing.
I'm also hoping to make some friends.
Have you decided to join a CSA this year? What are your criteria? Comment below! I'd love to hear from you.
