Community Supported Agriculture

My Vegetables. Ahhh, just saying those words brings a smile to my face. After a long winter here in central Maine I am more then ready to sign on for my second year as a CSA member. I am newcomer to the world of Community Supported Agriculture. But since taking the plunge last spring and signing up with Dig Deep Farm of Dresden I count myself as one of the converted. I love getting my vegetables through a CSA and I will tell you why.

What is a CSA? A CSA is Community Supported Agriculture, and though there is no set formula for how this works, the bottom line is that you make a commitment to a farm in the form of up front money and a farm makes a commitment to you in the form of the freshest and highest quality produce they can offer throughout the growing season. This creates a relationship between consumer and farmer, a direct link to where your food is coming from. You shake hands with the person that grows your food, you can see the farm where your food is grown, and you get the freshest possible food, in season, direct from the field to your table. It is an amazing way to support your local farmer, your community, and the health of you and your family!

My CSA consists of a payment in early spring, before any harvesting begins, of $340. I split my share with another single gal, so we pay a mere $170 each, and we both end up with a plethora of veggies throughout the production season, which in central Maine runs from June-October. Our veggies are bundled and are picked up weekly at our local farmer's market. The share could easily feed a family of four, especially in August and September when you get all the late season goodies! Dig Deep Farm also offers a market share, which involves investing $225 at the beginning of the season and allows you to come down to the farmer's market and shop wallet free, picking and choosing what you would like.

Having gone through one season with my CSA I can tell you that I would not go back to buying produce in the supermarket again. When my CSA is running I get everything I need in my weekly pick up. I quickly learned that your share will vary with the season. Things like greens and garlic and herbs came early, while onions, beets, strawberries and the like came later, then potatoes, tomatoes, beans, and squash came late. My farm is organic and grows some great heirloom varieties you can't find in a local store. I loved sorting through my potatoes with soil from the field still on them, strawberries with morning dew clinging to the tiny green leaves. I felt like a King, surrounded by the bounty of the fields, eating the kind of fresh foods I thought only the very wealthy could get their hands on. My investment of $170 got me fresh organic produce for five months. Not only was everything a superior quality, the actual cash value of what I received well exceeded what I paid in.

I also loved having a relationship with my Farmer. Dalziel, who operates Dig Deep Farm in Dresden Maine, is kind, warm, funny, and genuinely loves what she does. I felt great giving her my money; I loved picking up my veggies each week and seeing her with soil on her hands, face sun kissed and radiant! I got to hear from her how the garlic had done, how the greens were coming along, what new items would be making a debut in my share next week. She worked the soil, did the planting, tended the growing plants, and did the harvest, then got to hand the food directly to me, the consumer of these natural wonders. It is a whole and satisfying chain.

The produce I got from my CSA was the freshest and most delicious I have ever tasted. I got a variety of salad greens, beet greens, swiss chard, radishes, scallions, snap peas, herbs, potatoes, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, bunched beets, carrots, parsnips, cabbages, leeks, onions, berries, etc. Going back to the supermarket in the winter after my CSA ended I was stunned by the lack of taste and color, the obvious age, and wear and tear of the available produce. My CSA taught me to eat with the season and to value local fresh produce for it's amazing taste and beauty.

If you have been thinking about trying a CSA I highly recommend you give it a go. I was put off at first by the seemingly large upfront investment, but what you receive in quality and quantity of veggies, and the wonderful feeling of giving your money directly to the person growing your food, locally and organically right in your hometown, makes it more then worth it. We need to take back control from corporate farms and corporate grocery stores when it comes to the food we eat. The CSA benefits everyone. If you are looking for a CSA in your area a local farmer's market is a great place to start.