Interesting Idea: East Coast Foodshed CSAs

Winter can be a tough time for those of us who want to eat sustainably but live in areas of the country where, frankly, not much is growing. Some friends of ours in Boston told us about their farmshare through Enterprise Farm, a local Massachusetts farm that's bringing something a little different to the table this time of year.

During the summer and fall, Enterprise runs a normal CSA of food grown on their own farm or nearby farms in Massachusetts. Come winter when the pickings get a little slim, Enterprise starts purchasing and trading for sustainably-grown produce from other farms up and down the East Coast.

Enterprise calls their model an "East Coast Foodshed" and defines an area running along the coast from Maine to Florida. According to their website, this "increases year-round viability of small farms" by not only giving them a wider market for their goods but also by working directly with the farm instead of through a third party distributor. The food still travels less distance on average than the fresh produce at any major grocery store - particularly during the winter months.

Personally, this feels like a win-win situation. Farmers move their produce and get much-needed financial support, while consumers get a better variety and quality of fresh produce. We'd love to see similar models adopted in other regions.

What do you think about this farmshare model? Do you have something similar where you live?

• Read More About It!: East Coast Foodshed Concept from Enterprise Farm

Related: How to Start a New CSA

(Images: Enterprise Farm)

Comments (6)

We belong to a CSA in the Pac NW that gives us a really great selection year-round. Some items come from their farms in the winter, but around here, it's mostly greens or winter squash. We are finding citrus and other typical "summer" fare, which we enjoy immensely.

Some of my neighbors belong to the Enterprise Farm share. They get some amazing produce. It was too pricey for me ($900 for the winter share!), so I couldn't join. I did join with another family for Drumlin Farms- for $400 combined, we share a huge amount of veggies grown just 20 minutes from our homes. And they grow amazing salad greens! So for $200/ family, we get more than enough squashes, kale, onions, potatoes, carrots, turnips, beets, etc.

We have a small Enterprise winter share (it's much much cheaper, and is still plenty of food for the three people who share it). We only do the winter share through Enterprise- I love my Red Fire Farm summer share too much to switch. In general, I love being a part of the winter share. We get local greens and storage vegetables, plus genuinely ripe citrus fruit. The only thing I am not keen on is getting winter tomatoes. No matter what, even the little cherry tomatoes are not very good in the winter, and I'd rather skip that and get some more of the awesome local wheat berries they've been including in our share lately. I agree, win-win in general!

Enterprise Farm is my local farm. They also have a Food Shed on Saturday mornings, where they sell produce, local eggs, dairy, and meat. It's a good option for those who can't afford a full CSA share.

I had no idea about this, but am off to check it out! I have been mourning the end of my CSA since October!

This couldn't have come at a better time! I have been looking for a local CSA and live just outside the Boston area. I can't wait to find out more and hopefully buy a share!