Have You Joined a Farm Yet?

Five ways joining a CSA will save you time, money, and the planet.

Dayna Fischer

May 17, 2018

Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs) connect local farms to consumers, who purchase a subscription to receive produce at regular times throughout a season. The farm delivers the produce to a convenient pickup spot weekly or bi-weekly, depending on the subscription.

The CSA concept started in Japan in 1971 by a group of women who wanted safer, pesticide-free produce. Coincidentally, Europe developed a similar model to support local businesses and farmers at around the same time. The concept was introduced to the United States in 1984 and has gained traction ever since. In 2017, there are 7,300 CSAs in the United States.

Who is it for? Joining a CSA can be especially valuable for families, shared homes, and for people who like to prepare their own meals at least one-third of the time. Benefits can include financial savings, weight loss, and better health. Additionally, supporting local farms has a positive impact on local economies, the environment, and strengthens a sense of community.

Here are five more reasons why CSAs are awesome.

1. It is Good for the Environment

Less transportation equals less carbon emissions. Depending on where you shop, an apple will travel an average of 1,555 miles to get to you. That is roughly the distance from New York to Colorado. In the United States, grapes travel an average of 2,143 miles, and broccoli travels an average of 2,095 miles to get to the display in your grocery store. That amount of travel requires a lot of gas and carbon emissions for transport.

On the other hand, a CSA delivers fresh, organic, and seasonal produce to a pickup spot in your own neighborhood. That means an apple delivered to you through a CSA travels an average of 77 miles, instead of over 1,555 miles. FYI, there are roughly 600 commercial apple growers in the state of New York.

2. Protect the Dinosaurs

Food transportation alone accounts for 14 percent of energy use in the United States. Transportation is a leading use of fossil fuels and has been linked to climate change. As mentioned before, produce from a CSA travels an average of 77 miles vs. thousands, which means less fossil fuels are burned.

3. Financial Savings

We did the math. A CSA subscription costs less than buying produce from a grocery store. For six months of fruits and veggies, one New York CSA charges $680.00 dollars. That breaks down to $113.33 per month and $28.33 per week for a load of fresh produce. At this CSA, a full veggie share equals 8 to twelve fresh, organic, and seasonal items per week. A delivery could include:

• 1 bunch leeks — hello, potato leek soup!
• 1 bunch cilantro — tacos, salad, sandwiches — yes!
• 1 bunch carrots -carrot juice, snacks, soup — yum!
• 1 pint strawberries — fresh, organic strawberries , really, does it get better?
• 1 bunch Garlic Scapes — perfect for sandwiches, on your bagel, and in pretty much everything.
• 1/2 lb. seedless greenhouse cucumber — cucumber water, blend for a facial pack, cucumber sandwiches, anyone?
• 1 head fresh garlic — one clove of fresh, organic garlic carries the punch of two industrialized garlic cloves.

The retail price in a grocery store for this amount of produce would be roughly $38.00. That means you would save about $40.00 per month if you bought the same amount of produce from a CSA. Over the course of a year, that is a savings of $500, not to mention the amount of time, energy, transportation, and packaging that you will save as well.

4. Reduce the Use of Plastic

Have you seen photos of the islands of trash in the oceans? Joining a CSA can significantly help reduce the amount of plastic bags and packaging that is required for shipping produce to a grocery store. With a CSA, your produce is usually packed and delivered to you in a cardboard or wooden box, which eliminates the need for packaging.

5. Tastes Better and is Better For You

Locally grown food tastes better and is better for you. Have you ever bit into a raw carrot and had it satisfy your sweet tooth? Yes, carrots are deliciously sweet! Drop a bunch into a juicer and you are in for an amazing, perfectly sweet and refreshing drink.

When food has to travel thousands of miles, it requires a heavy dose of pesticides and preservatives to stay fresh. Oftentimes, it is artificially ripened by gas, or is genetically modified to have a longer shelf life. Think about it this way, how would you feel after a 24-hour ride in the back of a truck? Food is alive and delicate too.

In addition to taste, the nutrient levels in locally grown and harvested food is much higher. Food is meant for more than just tasting delicious and filling our stomachs. It can also heal and nourish us. People with illness due to a poor diet, such as diabetes have been known to reverse symptoms by eating a diet rich in nutritious fruits and vegetables.

There are many local farms growing fresh organic produce, why not buy locally? For example, the New York City area has 127 CSAs within 25 miles of Manhattan. If just one quarter of New Yorkers, roughly 2 million people subscribed to a CSA, each farm could potentially supply 23,000 people with produce. Now, that would make quite an impact on reducing the demand for industrialized fruits and veggies.

If you are interested in more information about how to find a CSA in the New York City area, check out Just Food. Simply enter your zip code and a list of CSAs that deliver to your area will come up. Eat well and be well.

In good health. MT

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