July 2008 | On Our Radar
The ABCs of CSAs
By E.B. Boyd
Say “CSA,” and you’ll probably picture a monthly basket overflowing with a local farm’s fruits and vegetables. Not so anymore. “Community supported agriculture” — where you pay a flat fee for a cut of a farmer’s harvest — is forging new ground, expanding into a variety of artisanal products beyond fresh produce alone. Sure, prices may be higher than what you’d pay at the chain supermarket, but the quality will be better, and you can take pride in the fact that your money is supporting a family-owned business and sound ecological practices. Here are some of our favorites:
» Crown S. Ranch brings beef, pork, chicken, turkey and eggs to the Seattle area. Paying in advance for the whole harvest will set you back from $395 for a one-eighth ownership of a steer, to $315 for one-fourth of a pig, to $210 for seven chickens. crown-s-ranch.com
» Lucky Seattle residents can get a jump on their kitchen gardens with plant starters from Cascadian Edible Landscapes. This past spring, they grew starts for broccoli, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, chard, peas and herbs. This summer, they have tomatoes, eggplants and peppers in the lineup. eatyouryard.com/services/plant-starts
» Surfin’ Seafood delivers flash-frozen, vacuum-packed seafood directly to your door. They also believe that a healthy diet goes hand in hand with a healthy environment; Surfin’ Seafood suppliers subscribe to ecologically sound fishing practices. surfinseafood.com
» Family-run Kanalani Ohana Farm in Hawaii grows Kona coffee on the slopes of volcano Mauna Loa and sends freshly roasted batches to subscribers at the beginning of every month. The annual subscriptions are $240 for a half-pound per month and $432 for a full pound.
kanalanifarm.org
» Herbalist Nancy Phillips and her husband Michael operate Heartsong Farms, a 58-acre apple and herb farm in northern New Hampshire. A $75 share in their harvest will get you a shipment of Echinacea tincture (good for pesky flus and colds), organic garlic, an all-purpose healing salve (made from calendula, comfrey, and St. John’s wort), herbal teas and wild cherry bark cough syrup.
herbsandapples.com
» Former journalist and television producer Susan Gibbs gave up the glamorous life to raise sheep and goats on Martha’s Vineyard. Knitters can buy into a share of the shearings. A share of the Fiber Farm’s fall harvest, which produces mohair and kid mohair yarn, is $100. A share in the spring 2009 harvest is $125. marthasvineyardfiberfarm.com
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