Get Tasty Food for Your Table and Support a Local Farm with Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA)

At the beginning of spring, some friends asked whether my husband and I wanted to go in on a CSA share with them. I had never heard of CSA—community-supported agriculture—before, but the brief explanation they gave us sounded interesting and like a worthy endeavor. Now that we’re around halfway through the season, I thought that I would share my experience so far and perhaps introduce some folks to this growing trend (pun intended, I guess).

One week’s full share of our CSA is enough to comfortably feed four people and provides a good variety of produce.

What Is Community-Supported Agriculture?

Part investment and part farmers market, with a subscription box vibe, community-supported agriculture really got its start in the US in the 1980s, though similar concepts had existed elsewhere prior to that. CSAs work essentially like a subscription service for local farm goods: you pay for a share or subscription right before the start of the season, and once the farm starts producing, you get a share of its crops, generally every week. Exactly what you get can vary depending on the farm you buy into and what grows well at the time. Most shares tend to include a variety of vegetables, but I have seen options that include meats, mushrooms, honey and beeswax goods, and more. There are CSAs that have boxes for different seasons, which you can buy separately, but most run through summer and into early fall, following the growing and harvest cycles.

The CSA that we share with our friends has mostly been veggies so far, though our farmer says that the pear crop looks good this year and their hops have been growing nicely as well. Barring any crop disasters, we’ll be getting those later on. Our share is split among four people (two couples), and has been quite a lot of produce—sometimes, it’s been hard to eat it all in the week between pickups! We have received a couple varieties of kale and swiss chard, heirloom carrots, radishes, baby beets, wood sorrel, salad greens, baby onions, and four different types of microgreens. Some weeks we get more of one thing or another, or perhaps no kale or no carrots depending on how things have been growing.

What Are the Pros?

The most obvious benefit for joining a CSA is that it gets you very fresh produce every week. The farms are local, and when you pick up your share, it’s been freshly harvested for that week. And the pickups are often easier to fit into a schedule than, say, a trip to a farmers market, which often has more limited weekend hours; we usually pick our share up on Fridays after work, usually. CSAs can also be a good introduction to new veggies or other produce you might not usually buy, since what comes in the share is up to the farmer and what is growing well. I’d never really used swiss chard before, but it’s been a frequent inclusion in our spread, and I’ve learned some really good recipes; it’s forced us, in a way, to be more adventurous with our meals. And I have to admit I’ve been eating way more leafy greens now that I did without the CSA—when I go grocery shopping, I usually gravitate more toward veggies that can keep longer (especially now that I’m trying to limit my grocery visits thanks to the pandemic). Fresh, seasonal food is often more flavorful and/or more nutritious as well; many fruits and veggies lose flavor, vitamins, and nutrients between harvest and consumption or are harvested early so that they don’t spoil in transit.

There are also philosophical benefits. Farms participating in CSA programs are generally small-scale operations run by members of your local community. By supporting them, you are supporting your community’s social and economic development. As well, local produce does not generate as large of a carbon footprint as nonlocal food, which has to be shipped in—sometimes from very far away—so buying locally can help mitigate that environmental concern.

What Are the Cons?

It is true that the price of a CSA share can seem daunting, especially since you have to pay it all in advance. The full price of our share was $400 (200 for each couple) for around 16 weeks. However, some CSAs have different options for size and price, and you may be able to find something that fits your desires and budget better. Whether the price is “worth it” can also depend on how the growing season goes: the model of community supported agriculture is one of shared risk, so you have to accept there is a risk that a hailstorm might take out a crop or that there might be a drought. Some CSAs will supplement their shares with other goods (like candles or soap) that wouldn’t be effected by the vagaries of weather and the like in such an event, but generally there isn’t a chance of a refund. It’s just as likely, thought that you’ll get your money’s worth—so far, I feel comfortable with what our CSA has provided weekly, especially since it’s probable the weekly pickups will increase as we move into true harvest time.

And although being introduced to new veggies is a pro for many people, it can also be a con for others. If you are a picky eater or have one in your house, you may not find the mystery-box aspect of CSAs appealing. There are a few “market-style” CSAs that allow for shareholder selection, but they’re pretty rare.

We’re starting to see the first of the heirloom carrots and baby beets, some of my favorite veggies.

Should I Join a CSA?

The risk-taking aspect of CSAs is a personal decision that different people will have different answers for, and only you can judge whether joining is worth it for you. If you think the pros I’ve outlined outweigh the cons, then by all means, give it a go. If you think the opposite, then it may not be for you. If you’re on the fence, I do encourage you to research some of the CSA options we have here in Minnesota—you might find something through Minnesota Grown, the Land Stewardship Project, or the USDA’s CSA directory that fits you better than the general view I’ve given here of our own (limited) experience. You can also split a share, as we have done, if you’re worried about the price and amount of produce being too much for you.

Personally, I have thus far enjoyed participating in our CSA. I like how it has made us more thoughtful and experimental with meal planning and preparation, and the produce we’ve received every week really has been super fresh and delicious. I’m very excited to see what else the season brings us!

If you are interested in joining a CSA, the time to sign up is typically spring. Keep an eye on the one(s) you’re interested in, because shares can easily sell out. Bonne chance, and bon appétit!