The Case For CSAs
May 4th, 2008 | Published in random | 2 Comments
With food prices rising dramatically, people are looking for alternative ways to get their food. One of those methods is practically in their backyard: joining a CSA.
Community Supported Agriculture is an excellent way of getting high-quality food, and supporting local agriculture. When you join a CSA, usually the person giving you your weekly share either grew it, or got it from those that did. Lakewood’s LEAF goes as far to say that everything it gets is sourced within 75 miles of Lakewood. Some CSAs, like LEAF, also offer high-quality meat, eggs, and other items through select vendors.
Felicia C. Sullivan of The Huffington Post writes:
However, if you are in the financial position to make such a choice, why choose conventional? Why add to your carbon count? Why break ecological and evolutionary chains (cows are not evolved to eat corn — it’s just cheaper for us to feed them corn and fatten them up for slaughter)? Don’t you want to know how your food is grown, really grown? Isn’t it odd that kill plants for animals don’t let anyone (reporters, writers — anyone other than government regulators, who, in a sense support their practices) in them to view their slaughter practices (which are inhumane and beyond filthy) while local farmers have no problem giving you access to their slaughter process? Why not make an investment in your health now rather than risk future health-related problems? Do you want to support a government that is ruining our land and environment and making it easier for us to access food from countries where there are no environmental laws/restrictions? I could go on and on, but why would you chose to eat garbage over delicious, clean food? Sorry, this issue gets me a little miffed.”
I wholeheartedly agree. Why subject yourself to crap food when you can get fantastic food from people who are probably your neighbors, coworkers, friends?
A neighbor of mine recently joined a CSA and has good things to say about it. Will you be next?
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May 6th, 2008at 7:14 pm(#)
My cousin and her husband have a small farm in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and operate a CSA. Their CSA is full this year, but they will be at Countryside Farmers Market this year.
Heather blogs at http://www.csa-days.blogspot.com/.
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June 4th, 2008at 4:31 pm(#)
I am starting my second season with my CSA crop-share and I absolutely love it! Everything is so fresh, tastes so much better, has more nutrients, and makes me feel connected to nature in the middle of Manhattan. The farm I belong to has weekly newsletters, which make you feel like a part of the farm and provide tons of information you would never get in a grocery store. I usually buy organic and since my crop-share is 100% organic it is a huge savings when compared to grocery store purchases. I also love the surprise of what’s to come. Never knowing what we will get that week is part of the fun. And figuring out how to use all of it up in a week is even more fun. Thanks for the post.