Greener Food

: CSAs & Local Eating

One recent trend in greener eating is “community supported agriculture” or CSA programs. Membership in a CSA is the practice of paying for a seasonal (or multi-season) share of a local farm’s harvest. Investments by CSA members or subscribers ensure the farmer a market for their output in the coming season, and cover the advance-cost of seed, supplies, and labor so farmers can focus not on fundraising or marketing, but on cultivating nutritious, flavorful organic crops for you to bring home to your family. In return, members receive a weekly box of assorted fruits and/or vegetables – whatever is fresh from the farm that week.

The trend toward CSAs -- and local food in general -- isn’t just a trend. It’s based in good, sound, healthful sense. It is driven by the desire for people to know and be connected to their food sources, to support their local economies and nearby family farms, and to obtain organic produce (and/or eggs, meat, poultry, honey, etc.) from a farmer whom they know and trust. Because the emphasis is on what is local, that tomato doesn’t have far to travel.  And because the emphasis is on what is seasonal, the types of crops produced by CSAs are typically selected for their ability to thrive in the local climate and soil in a given season.  This means that sourcing a local tomato:

• Minimizes your salad’s carbon footprint, since the tomato didn’t take a hundred (or even thousand) mile fossil-fueled journey from the vine to your plate.
• Maximizes your salad’s nutritional value and taste, since the tomato wasn’t picked green 12 states away, and made to ripen over the course of days or weeks, away from the sun and rain, inside a dark box in the back of a truck.

Many households today struggle to compare the benefits and values of their many and varied options for purchasing food – from local supermarket produce, to exotic international ingredients and fare, to discount superstores now offering low-priced grocery items alongside their original inventory of toys, clothing, and household products. As you consider the right “mix” of food sources for your family, remember that membership in a CSA isn’t typically an all-or-none exercise. It is generally one way a household will balance its interest in receiving ongoing local, seasonal, often organic food -- with the need to supplement with items from a variety of other sources.

While the goal is more mindful eating by considering things like local and seasonal food, picking up asparagus at the local Midwest supermarket in November shouldn’t be a blasphemous act.  By raising our awareness and doing the best we can -- and maybe more and more as time goes on -- we’re already making a difference. We’re not talking about empirically green food; we are talking about taking steps on a continuum toward eating greener.

Consider this:

• Since the introduction of the CSA concept in 1985 by Robyn Van En, the movement has spread throughout North America and has gradually come to include over 1,300 CSA farms. (Robyn Van En Center, Fulton Center for Sustainable Living, Wilson College)
• (By joining a CSA), You'll be teaching your kids important lessons about where food comes from and what the consequences of weather and other conditions are on our food. (“Community Supported Agriculture Gives you Great Food at a Low Price,” Stephanie Gallagher, About.com)

Some topics related to CSAs include: food, farmers markets, grocers, produce delivery, catering, restaurants, meal delivery, seasonal cooking, meat, wine, beer, babyfood, school meals, safe storage, bakery

Recommended links for CSAs, Local and Seasonal Eating

• 8 Great Reasons to Join a Community Supported Agriculture Program
• Eat Local: Does Your Food Travel More than You Do? Eco-Chef Reconnects with Local Food (NPR Podcast)
• Benefits of locally-grown foods from Foodroutes and Eat Local Challenge
• Eat Seasonal
• Urban Farmer Wins McArthur Genius Grant (NPR Podcast)
• CSA background, history, and resources: U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Library

To find greener products or services for CSAs click here

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