A different way to eat organic

If you’re a newbie when it comes to buying organic food, you may be like I use to be when I first started my organic journey. I equated organic with Whole foods Market, certified organic and/or farmers’ market. While those are all great ways to buy organically grown food, I would like to introduce you to another realm of organic food that not only helps you and your local farmer, but it helps your community by bringing   families together through hard work, you have fun and you learn.  So what am I talking about?

Community Supported Agriculture  or CSA is a super alternative to avoiding some of the costly prices that come with purchasing organic food. CSA is a way that local farmers bring seasonal high quality organic food to the tables of many local families. For those who participate they have the opportunity to not only help one another, but to get to know their local farmers and our farmers get to know us—thus bringing the community together and fostering life long relationships in many instances.

This is how it works, local residents pre-pay for weekly produce (Sometimes meat) from farms in their surrounding communities. The fee that is charged helps farmer’s plan and work their gardens to provide their CSA members with seasonal produce that is dropped off by the farmer to a pre-determined location usually weekly, members pick up.

CSA members pay a one time, yearly fee, which can be hefty for some families to come up with in one lump sum. The cost for the CSA membership at the farm my family and I are with is $800-$900, depending on the drop site for a 30 week share.

Now for those of us who can't shell out a whopping $800-$900 at one time, there is no need to frett.  Workshares are our alternative.

Two to three times a month my family and I drive to the country side and work about four hours, giving our time and talent to our local farmers.  In return we leave with seasonal produce that are picked that day for us out of the garden or off the trees at the farm.  We leave with cartoons of eggs that were laid early that morning, and most of all we leave feeling refreshed and fulfilled from a good day of hard work and fellowship.

* The farms and farmers we work with have a high standard of organic practice.