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Join a Community-Supported Agriculture Co-op

Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA

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By Collin Dunn
Corvallis, OR, USA | Wed Apr 16 17:21:00 EDT 2008

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Kelly does a great job of showing us great examples of eating green, but where do you turn to get the ingredients to follow her lead? Now that spring is here, local family farms are gearing up for a summer of growing fabulous, fresh foods, and you can enjoy a share of their harvests for yourself by joining up with a community-supported agriculture (CSA) co-op.

Here's how it works: after you find a local farm (more on that in a sec), you can sign up for a share of their harvest; then, at regular intervals--usually a week or two--you are delivered, or pick up, a box or basket with a portion of their harvest, direct from the farm and ready for consumption. It's fresh, local, supports your local family farms, and a great way to enjoy what your local foodshed has to offer all summer and in to the fall. It's like having the best of your local farmer's market picked out for you, every week.The number of CSAs in the United States was estimated at 50 in 1990, and has since grown to over 1000, so its increasingly likely that there's a farm near you that offers a sharing program. To find a CSA near you, click on over to Local Harvest's CSA section, which allows you to search by zip code for a program near you; they also have a great article on the history and importance of CSAs which is well worth reading.

If you want to learn more about where you food really comes from, and establish a relationship with those who are growing and harvesting it for you, a CSA is a great way to make a real connection to what you eat, reduce the distance it has to travel, and eat delicious food all summer long.

See also: ::Follow the "Three-Month Rule" for Fruits and Vegetables and ::Eat Locally and Ease Climate Change

Difficulty level: Easy

 
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