Selecting a CSA

12 June 2011

I have my heart set on joining a CSA this summer, so I spent a while asking around, prying local friends to give me any information that they had, and finally, when I searched online, it was easy as could be!

A CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, is a way to purchase local, seasonal food directly from a farmer. The farmer offers a certain number of "shares" per season based on what he expects to produce, and members pay for a share, usually meant for 3-4 people, upfront. By paying upfront, they help the farmer with the upfront costs of food production, help absorb some of the risk, and receive food in abundance if it is a fruitful season. Buyers get to meet and directly support their producers, the food is ultra fresh and they receive a box full of surprises every week, challenging them to experiment with new cooking.

The first time I lived in New York, my roommate and I shared a box of Urban Organic every week; a different way of getting fresh produce to city dwellers. Urban Organic delivers a box of organic produce directly to its NYC customers' doorsteps each week. It offers the ultimate of flexibility: you pay by the week so can stop or pause at any time, and you do not need to leave your house to take advantage of it. I love it!

But I love CSA's more, and so it is time to move on. Urban Organic focuses on organic over local: I remember shipments with definitely not local organic bananas and pineapples among the contents. I'm ready to eat like a farmer, even if that means all greens this month and in November all squash!

So I found justfood.org, an NYC based organization that strives to connect NYC residents with local farmers across income barriers to support food that is fresh, seasonal and sustainably grown. They promote CSAs, city farms, community food education, policy and advocacy, and connect soup kitchens and food pantries with local produce (add to my potential future job search list!) Their website has a wonderful map of all of the CSAs in NYC, so I could either plug in my zip code or search the interactive map for the closest CSA pickup.

I found a few within cozy bike riding distance and sent a few emails. I soon--within the hour--received a phone call from a lovely lady at Kitchen Table/Project Harmony CSA.


Facts on My (hopefully soon to be) CSA:

- Pick-up Thursdays between 5-7 pm
- Duration: 22 Weeks
- Cost $370
- Enough food for 2-4 people

Cons:

- Short pick-up window
I have no regular schedule! As a waitress, who knows if I'll be working Thursdays. But she assured me, you make friends quickly who will help you out by picking up your order and holding it for you.
- Duration: 22 weeks
That is until the end of October! I may not stay in NY for that long...so what if I leave in August? But I am assuring myself, even if I leave, I pass the rest onto someone else, and even if I lose the money, I've helped a small, local organic farmer.
- Cost $370
Yikes! That is for 3-4 people to share, but knowing how much I cook, I should not share with more than one. All the same, this cost is still probably significantly less than a summer's worth of produce from a grocery store, and certainly much fresher and healthier for me, the land and people around me.

So with whom do I share my share? My roomies are skeptical (although they will be so envious when the boxes start arriving!) I have a friend who lives about twelve blocks away who was interested...but also said he's probably too picky for 3/4 of the box's contents. Being a newbie to the building I haven't met many other residents, so tonight I posted a sign at the entrance, hoping to catch some interest. It is hand-printed in torn out notebook paper, red marker, and signed with a smiley face, so hopefully they will appreciate my minimalist method.