Hey everyone,
For the very first time, I've signed up for a CSA share (from Cooper's CSA Farm)!
CSA stands for Community Supported (or Shared) Agriculture.
What is it?
From Cooper's CSA Farm (www.coopersfarm.ca):
"Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is not a new idea, but one that has gained popularity in Canada within recent years. Instead of purchasing at a supermarket, CSA members sign up to either pick-up or have delivered weekly baskets of vegetables and fruit, or meat, such as free-range chicken, hormone and antibiotic-free Angus-grade beef, or pasture-fed goat, lamb, or Berkshire pork. This allows the farmer to ensure the quality and quantity of his produce, while providing the member with only the ripest and most seasonal produce.
Why would you consider joining a CSA?
My own thoughts:
1. Ultra-fresh, locally grown produce – this is by far the
number one reason for joining a CSA.
Farms give their members the very best of their produce, often picked
the day of delivery, at the ripest possible time. You get only what is in season in your area. Who wants to eat something that was picked as
unripe as it could be and was gas-ripened while being trucked or flown across
the world? You are minimizing your
carbon footprint while also minimizing packaging and storing times, and
maximizing the amounts of nutrients and taste of your produce.
2. Saves money – assuming you use
the produce that comes in the box, most CSA members will save money over a
similar amount of quality produce bought at the store or from a farmers’
market.
3. Convenient – most CSAs have a
delivery service and will deliver your weekly (or bi-weekly/monthly) produce
boxes right to your door. This not only
saves you time, but also the effort of going to a grocery store or farmers’
market, picking through the produce, having to figure out what is in season,
deciding on what to buy, bagging your produce, and paying for it. All you have to do is take it out of the box,
wash, and put away. How much easier can
it get?
4. “Forced” healthy eating – when we
pre-purchase something, we tend to use it.
So, even if you feel like having a junk-food feast one week, your
healthy fruit and veggie CSA box will be calling your name, and you will be
very tempted to use that produce before it goes bad!
5. Rare source for healthy, high quality
animal products
– let’s face it, most of the animal products (meat, milk, eggs) in the grocery
stores are not of very good quality. The
majority come from animals who were not treated very well, who were treated with
antibiotics and/or hormones, and who were grain-fed. CSAs raise fewer animals, treat them with the
respect that they deserve and allow them to follow their natural instincts,
while refusing to sell those who require antibiotic treatment, and feed their
animals on their natural diets. This
makes for healthier and happier animals, which also leads to healthier meats
and animal products for you.
6. Learn about new vegetables and fruits – you never know
what might show up in your box, and that’s a good thing as variety is key in
healthy eating. Plus, it’s exciting to
try new things! Many CSAs send recipes
(or have them accessible on their websites) for the majority of the foods found
in that week’s box, so even if you don’t know what the heck is in there, you
will have some guidance as to how to prepare it and eat it!
7. Understanding of the seasons and what
grows in your area
– you’re getting a connection to the land and the seasons that is rare for
urban and suburban dwellers, and is often immensely satisfying.
8. Relationship with the farmers – again, a
connection to the land and the people who are growing your food that isn’t
possible when shopping at grocery stores.
Plus, supporting local businesses is a great thing.
9. Special member benefits – these vary among
CSAs, but often farms will offer special deals, members-only fruit/veggie
picking, special farm events, or a full membership to their farm included free
with your CSA fee.
10. It’s better for your health, the health
of the animals, and the health of our planet.
So, because this is my first year trying out a CSA program, I thought it'd be fun to share a short description and pictures of what I receive each week, to give everyone an idea of what a year of CSA crops would look like (of course, every year is different as farming is impacted by many different, often uncontrollable variables).
I'd also like to share some of what we ended up doing with the fruits and veggies, to give you an idea of what can be done with it! That may be too ambitious, but I'll try :)
Week One
Here's the box that we received:
And here's what's inside of it!
It included:
Red and green leaf lettuce:
Asparagus:
Rhubarb:
Oregano, mushrooms, tomatoes, and a cucumber:
Don't those tomatoes look stunning? They're so vibrant!
That's it for now! Look for my blog next week in which I'll be sharing what I receive in week two, along with what we managed to do with this current week's produce.
Thanks for reading!
Dr. Jenna McNamee, ND
More info regarding Cooper's CSA Farm:
Cooper’s
Farm CSA Ph: 905-830-4521
L0E
1T0
This week's box contained a lot more stuff!
