"Community Supported Agriculture" news and stories

The CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) season is starting to pick up and so many of us will now be getting boxes and baskets of gorgeous fresh produce on a weekly basis (Scott and I are splitting a share with a friend and our pick ups started last week - delicious!). I don't actually know if this picture, from What Geeks Eat is actually a CSA share, but it has that look, since it's a large amount of beautiful, fresh produce (I guess it could also be the result of a trip to a Farmers' Market). Regardless, it's a beautiful picture that has a way of getting me even more excited for season of fresh eating that is now upon us.

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When we talk about food porn, it is usually referring to completed dishes that look simply outstanding. Sometimes though, it is the fresh, natural food that really looks best. A reader sent in this link to his Flickr photo pool which contains some beautiful shots of fresh produce from his local Community Supported Agriculture in Oxford, CT. Whether you eat them raw or use them in recipes, the vegetables pictured here can inspire hundreds of meal ideas.

Have you seen any other shots of beautiful, fresh fruits and vegetables? Send them in to us.

(Thanks, Dan!)

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If you read a lot of personal food blogs, you will occasionally here someone refer to CSA or a delivery from CSA. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, a cooperative system in which goods from a farm are delivered directly to a consumer. The way it works is that people purchase the rights to part of a farmer's crop prior to the beginning of the season. Once the crops start coming in - and some farmers provide everything from vegetables and herbs to fresh eggs and meat, though most primarily provide produce - a portion of the harvest is delivered to each subscriber each week, either directly or to a central location where it can be picked up. The farmers benefit from having a direct sale, and the consumers benefit because they are getting ultra-fresh produce and supporting their community.

Because everything is so seasonal, consumers don't have a say in what they get each week. It is based strictly on the harvest, so it is possible that you will end up with some foods you don't care for in addition to ones you love.

The season lasts from April or May through October, although it may start a bit later depending on what area of the country you are from. Some farms offer year-round programs. Generally, the subscription is paid in advance, meaning that a subscriber will pay a few hundred dollars at the beginning of the season instead of paying weekly as they might at a grocery store or farmer's market. An average cost seems to be about $22 per week. Use the CSA Finder at Local Harvest to help locate a program in your area.