CSA stands for “community supported agriculture,” which is a direct-to-customer business model for farmers. In the traditional CSA model, people pay for a season’s worth of produce (a membership), sometimes months in advance. The CSA member then receives a box of fruits and vegetables every week throughout the harvesting season. This is great for the farmers because they get the revenue when they most need it to get ready for the growing season.
According to Small Farm Central’s CSA Farming Annual Report, the most popular time to join a CSA each year is at the end of February.
– With increasing skepticism about what people consume actually being the real deal, whether it’s news, food, music, etc., now is the time to celebrate authentic, fresh food. There is nothing more genuine than locally grown fruits and vegetables from small farmers in communities around the country. People struggle to feed themselves and their families nutritious, real foods, and farmers, without support from the local community, struggle to be as productive as possible. However, communitysupported agriculture(CSA) is filling that void. CSA is a subscription to a season’s worth of sustainable, locally grown produce that is distributed to members throughout the harvesting season. It is a form of investment that allows small farmers to continue growing on a scale that may not be sustainable without the CSA model. CSA members enjoy the quality of fresh fruits and vegetables for their family, while supporting their local farm.
Hudson Valley CSA Coalition: nonprofit organization with a mission to make CSA a familiar and accessible option for everyone in the Hudson Valley. They offer a directory of more tan 60 local small farm CSAs and garden co-ops. http://hudsonvalleycsa.org/find-a-farm/?&co=all&st=all&ao=all
Sweet Earth Co (Pound Ridge): offers up to 18 weeks of CSA shares of local, fresh and sustainably grown flowers and herbs. https://sweetearthco.com/we-grow/
SunRaven Garden Co-op (Bedford): a hands-on, working and learning garden experience. Offers 24 weeks of produce, herbs, flowers and eggs; monthly workshops; community gatherings, meditation and special events. Based on principles of Slow Medicine. http://slowmedicine.org/the-sunraven-garden-co-op/
