Fitness Friday #47: Join a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program

When I started writing this blog, I intended to document my experiences growing food on a small quarter-acre plot of suburban land. That was a lifetime ago.

However, my interest in food origins, and building community around food has not changed.

Access to good, local produce remains a priority in my life. Johnny and I are continuing to plan and build our backyard gardens, and I can’t wait to have  more fresh produce at our fingertips.

In the meantime (and really, in addition to our gardens), I rely on our membership in the Colchester Farm CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Program with Colchester Farm to supply us with fresh produce for much of the year. We’re fortunate to live in an area full of growers and champions of the local food movement.

With all of our great experiences, I bring you 3 Reasons to Join a CSA! Even if you’re not in the Kent County area (or surrounding counties), I’d love for you to consider supporting your local farms through a CSA Program.

1. Know Your Farmer. This is something I didn’t realize I enjoyed until I joined the CSA. How cool is it to know the person who grows your food? The person (people) who work the land, lovingly plant and nurture your produce, who choose it at the best moment, and bundle it to bring right to you — usually in the same day. Beyond knowing your farmer, the freshness factor is another reason I keep coming back to the CSA each year. Produce is picked at its best moment, and moves from farm to you within hours or days.
2. Community. I love our CSA group on facebook – members will post recipes, how they use their share items, and general love for local foods. It’s comforting to see the same familiar faces (and new faces each year) when I pick-up my CSA share each week. When we host farm events, it’s wonderful to see so many people in support of food, keeping funds local, and with a shared interest in fresh, high quality food experiences.
3. Trying New Foods. There are so many food items I’ve received as part of my CSA that I have never found in my local grocery store — garlic scapes, romanesca, and delicata squash for starters. It’s been so fun to learn about each of these items and best practices for cooking and eating. It’s also refreshing to have variety within items – not just one or two types of garlic or tomatoes, for example.  We have several variety options within the CSA program.

I cherish my CSA Program, and encourage you to look into one near you!

If you live near Kent County, MD – including Queen Anne’s County, Cecil County, and even Delaware – please consider checking out Colchester Farm CSA. Our Farm manager, Theresa, is so dedicated to the local food movement, best practices, and delivering high-quality customer service to the CSA members and farm patrons.