Community Supported Agriculture
 

Has anyone joined one of these groups? I (and two friends) have signed up to receive a 1/2 bushel of veggies each week for about 16 weeks. I have never done this before and wondered what everyones experience with it is. I love vegetables and hoping I get some new kinds to try. One of my friends loves to cook and she loves trying new dishes.

I have not but friends of ours did this for several years. I think a lot depends on how much you like veggies of all varieties and how many folks are sharing. You can get over run with LOTS of a single item. If you can blanch/freeze some, all the better. Enjoy.

As veggies tend to ripen at different times, one usually receives a lot of one or few types of veggies at a time. Some don't like that. My neighbor and I do this each year. We look for creative ways to use certain veggies and can or freeze what we can for the winter months.

I miss the root cellar my parents had in their home :) We kept apples, carrots, potatoes and squash for several months in that cool, dark, dry space. MMM MMM good :)

Oh, I hope it turns out to be a great experience!

I did this last year and was not happy with the meager quantity and expense....I think it all depends on the farm, be careful. Talk to more than one person who belonged last year. Also, we had to pick up every week with only an afternoon to do it, that got to be a hassle. We love any kind of veggie so the selection was not a problem. Also, you'll be getting a lot of greens early in the year because not much else is ready so you can calculate that into the formula.

I agree with Quiltbuddy. Check with people who were signed up last year. We have several in the area and one really provides a lot of veggies for the money. There is another that is not a good investment.

Please bear in mind that a lot of CSA's are young idealistic people who want to get into agriculture but other ways are cost prohibitive. They often hold second jobs like a lot of our established farmers today. As so much of our food is sourced off shore, we would be wise to support those who are trying to bring wholesome food to your area. Just remember this - if this was your garden, would you abandon it if some of the vegetables were damaged, crooked, undersized, or showing some insect damage. (dry hot weather),( cold wet weather).
With all CSA's there are good years, bad years and GREAT years. I've had experience on the production end. This demand for perfection like you see at the grocery stores where the waste is astronomical put me out of business 20 years ago.
MaryKatherine