One other element of this rising interest in local food and slow food has been the appearance and rapid growth of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). CSA connects local food lovers with regional farmers. A CSA program member purchases a share (or subscription) at the start of the growing season. This entitles the member to a portion of the farm’s produce for the entirety of the season, which is generally delivered weekly to a distribution point in the member’s community.
Early spring is sign-up season for the city’s CSAs, so here are all the FAQs for you to mull over before contacting your neighborhood’s group.
Why would I want to join?
It’s a great bargain. You’ll receive the same amazing local, organic food that’s available at the farmer’s market (many CSA program farmers also maintain stands at the city’s greenmarkets), but you’ll have paid anywhere from 40% to 70% less than market stand prices. Farmers rely on their CSA members for the influx of cash they need to finance the start of their season’s operations, so it’s a win-win for both growers and CSA members.
It gives you a motivation to eat seasonally and to explore a wider array of veggies (and to learn techniques for making them delicious). During my first season as a CSA member, I ate my first husk cherry, learned to can tomatoes, and brewed my own sauerkraut. It’s fun to realize the range of foods that can be grown locally, and there’s something fulfilling in seeing your kitchen’s menu follow the cycle of the seasons.
You’ll meet your farmer. There’s a power in knowing the names of the people who grew your food: you’ll know the environmental and labor practices that your farm follows, you’ll know your farm’s history, and in many cases you’ll have an opportunity to work with them in growing or harvesting your food (many CSA programs organize farm volunteer days).
You get to meet your fellow local food-loving neighbors! Making new friends, feeling more involved in your community, and networking with like-minded folks provides another great benefit above and beyond the food you’ll receive.
What’s the catch?
The upfront cost can be high. A vegetable share for a 2-3 person family will probably set you back a few hundred bucks, and you’ll usually need to pay the full balance before the first delivery happens. That said, some CSAs offer subsidized shares or even accept food stamps, so don’t let a high price tag deter you immediately.
You’ll need to eat locally and seasonally. I love this aspect of CSA participation, but for those without the time or ambitions for vegetable challenges, a lack of choice can be off-putting. For those overly accustomed to the flexible, on-demand produce found in their local grocery store, a CSA can require a significant shift in culinary thinking.
What you receive relies on the benevolence of Mother Nature. Though not typical, weather, pests, and disease can significantly affect a farm’s production (a blight can kill tomato crops or an early frost can wipe out autumn squashes). CSA farmers will generally try to make up for poor harvests of particular crops by including more of unaffected vegetables, but realize that a CSA share is an investment, and like all investments, entails some degree of risk. On the other side of that coin, also consider that a bumper crop could result in receiving far more great veggies than you were expecting!
A CSA program generally has a single weekly pickup (almost always late afternoon to early evening), and there’s rarely a way to hold your share if you’re not able to show up. You’ll need to commit yourself to the weekly distributions, or enlist a friend or neighbor in helping with pick ups for you in return for some veggies.
What else should I know?
The average CSA share is going to have about half a dozen items involved in each weekly delivery. Expect a ton of greens in the first few weeks of the season (early June). You’ll start to get more diversity by mid-July, and everyone is always most excited by the arrival of tomato season (which peaks in late August). The variety stays strong all the way through the harvest season, and you’ll usually end in mid-November with some late squashes and root vegetables.
Many CSAs offer more than just the standard vegetable share. Check to see if your CSA offers additional shares for fruit, cheeses and other dairy products (yogurts, milks, etc), or herbs. While almost every standard share will include all of the available vegetables, it may also be possible to order special shares that include extra portions of popular crops like tomatoes.
Don’t like an item in your share for the week? See if your CSA has a trading box set up at the distribution site (and if not, suggest one). These are usually just a take-and-leave set-up: leave the vegetables you’re not interested in in the box, and take an equivalent portion of what others fellow-CSA folks may have left.
If you have the time, consider joining your CSA core group. The volunteers in your core group keep the CSA program running smoothly, whether it’s writing articles for a CSA newsletter, helping to process food stamps, coordinating volunteers for distribution days, or organizing special events (like farm trips). Core groups are usually always looking for help, and it’s a great opportunity to apply your skills (or learn new ones) while helping your local community!
How do I sign up?
Act fast; CSA sign-ups are in full swing, and many groups have limited space for new members. Find the groups in your neighborhood (or near your workplace) through the NYC advocacy group Just Food. Visit your local group’s website or get in contact with them, and you’ll be well on your way to a year of delicious deliveries and kitchen adventures!
For folks outside of NYC, you can find your nearest CSA through the website Local Harvest.
Once you’re signed up, stay tuned with Vegiboys this summer as our own CSA shares start to arrive. We’ll be sharing weekly photos of our share box with you, and be giving ideas on what to do with your bounty of vegetables!
All NYC Vegi-Lovers: It’s CSA Sign-up Season!
The past decade has been kind to New York City’s locavores: we’ve seen a major expansion in the city’s farmers’ markets, the preservation of community gardens despite the changing market for real estate, a number of efforts at establishing viable urban farms, and even the legalization of beekeeping after years of prohibition.
One other element of this rising interest in local food and slow food has been the appearance and rapid growth of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). CSA connects local food lovers with regional farmers. A CSA program member purchases a share (or subscription) at the start of the growing season. This entitles the member to a portion of the farm’s produce for the entirety of the season, which is generally delivered weekly to a distribution point in the member’s community.
Early spring is sign-up season for the city’s CSAs, so here are all the FAQs for you to mull over before contacting your neighborhood’s group.
Why would I want to join?
It gives you a motivation to eat seasonally and to explore a wider array of veggies (and to learn techniques for making them delicious). During my first season as a CSA member, I ate my first husk cherry, learned to can tomatoes, and brewed my own sauerkraut. It’s fun to realize the range of foods that can be grown locally, and there’s something fulfilling in seeing your kitchen’s menu follow the cycle of the seasons.
You’ll meet your farmer. There’s a power in knowing the names of the people who grew your food: you’ll know the environmental and labor practices that your farm follows, you’ll know your farm’s history, and in many cases you’ll have an opportunity to work with them in growing or harvesting your food (many CSA programs organize farm volunteer days).
You get to meet your fellow local food-loving neighbors! Making new friends, feeling more involved in your community, and networking with like-minded folks provides another great benefit above and beyond the food you’ll receive.
What’s the catch?
You’ll need to eat locally and seasonally. I love this aspect of CSA participation, but for those without the time or ambitions for vegetable challenges, a lack of choice can be off-putting. For those overly accustomed to the flexible, on-demand produce found in their local grocery store, a CSA can require a significant shift in culinary thinking.
What you receive relies on the benevolence of Mother Nature. Though not typical, weather, pests, and disease can significantly affect a farm’s production (a blight can kill tomato crops or an early frost can wipe out autumn squashes). CSA farmers will generally try to make up for poor harvests of particular crops by including more of unaffected vegetables, but realize that a CSA share is an investment, and like all investments, entails some degree of risk. On the other side of that coin, also consider that a bumper crop could result in receiving far more great veggies than you were expecting!
A CSA program generally has a single weekly pickup (almost always late afternoon to early evening), and there’s rarely a way to hold your share if you’re not able to show up. You’ll need to commit yourself to the weekly distributions, or enlist a friend or neighbor in helping with pick ups for you in return for some veggies.
What else should I know?
Many CSAs offer more than just the standard vegetable share. Check to see if your CSA offers additional shares for fruit, cheeses and other dairy products (yogurts, milks, etc), or herbs. While almost every standard share will include all of the available vegetables, it may also be possible to order special shares that include extra portions of popular crops like tomatoes.
Don’t like an item in your share for the week? See if your CSA has a trading box set up at the distribution site (and if not, suggest one). These are usually just a take-and-leave set-up: leave the vegetables you’re not interested in in the box, and take an equivalent portion of what others fellow-CSA folks may have left.
If you have the time, consider joining your CSA core group. The volunteers in your core group keep the CSA program running smoothly, whether it’s writing articles for a CSA newsletter, helping to process food stamps, coordinating volunteers for distribution days, or organizing special events (like farm trips). Core groups are usually always looking for help, and it’s a great opportunity to apply your skills (or learn new ones) while helping your local community!
How do I sign up?
Act fast; CSA sign-ups are in full swing, and many groups have limited space for new members. Find the groups in your neighborhood (or near your workplace) through the NYC advocacy group Just Food. Visit your local group’s website or get in contact with them, and you’ll be well on your way to a year of delicious deliveries and kitchen adventures!
For folks outside of NYC, you can find your nearest CSA through the website Local Harvest.
Once you’re signed up, stay tuned with Vegiboys this summer as our own CSA shares start to arrive. We’ll be sharing weekly photos of our share box with you, and be giving ideas on what to do with your bounty of vegetables!