Summer CSAs: Sign Up Now!

Sara Kate's musings on her summer garden-to-be got us thinking about CSAs and farm shares. They fill up fast, and now is definitely the time to contact your favorite farm to reserve your spot for weekly produce! Will you be signing up?

When we talked about our CSA experiences at the end of the season last fall, many of you weren't sure if you'd be signing up again. There was a lot of discouragement about wasted food and frustrations over how limited many of the boxes were.

But the CSA veterans among us were also encouraging. Stories from these folks made us think that maybe doing a yearly CSA just takes practice - the first year is tough, but then you start getting a feel for the ebb and flow of your particular farm and the growing seasons.

Are you doing a CSA again or thinking of doing one? If so, will you be sticking with the same farm or switching to a new one?

(Image: Flickr member santheo licensed under Creative Commons)

Comments (11)

Here in the SF Bay Area, most of the CSAs I am familiar with are year-round. Mine certainly is.

I've been getting plenty of squash and greens and apples and citrus and carrots and the like. Fantastic!

posted by MollyMayhem on January 12th 2009 at 3:23pm
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I need to figure out if I'm going to rejoin this year. I didn't really feel like we got our moneys worth last season and with the $50 price increase this year I think I may be able to do better at the farmers market.

posted by skreinking on January 12th 2009 at 3:44pm
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Speaking of which: Does anyone have a recommendation for Seattle CSAs? I'm moving to Seattle in March and I wonder if there's a CSA that's so wonderful I should sign up now so I don't miss it.

I've poked around online and found good reports about the CSAs through Full Circle Farms, New Roots Organic, Tiny's Organic Farm, and Pike Place Market; also found some bad reviews of Spud. Full Circle seems to have the added advantage of being year-round and low-commitment. Does anyone have personal experiences with any of these? Thanks!

posted by carolyn_suzanne on January 12th 2009 at 3:59pm
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I go to the farmers market weekly, usually on Sunday mornings, and if for some reason I can't attend on that day (travels or what have you), I attend a market on another day that week. I live in Sacramento and there are farmers markets on different days year-round so I have that luxury. I've also been known to hit up a local market when traveling out of town to visit the in-laws in Mendocino County or even when traveling for pleasure up and down the state. Just a quick search on the 'net allows me to find once near to where I'll be. When we went to Kona a little over a year ago, we even went to a couple of markets there to help stock our condo. So, I'll stick to picking out my own fresh produce but do think they are a great idea for people who need that extra push to try new fruits and veggies.

posted by rosebud on January 12th 2009 at 4:51pm
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Mine is year-round too - I was a bit waffley at the end of the summer, but I'm sold now. Lots of chard and squash and beets - yum.

posted by ChzPlz on January 12th 2009 at 6:39pm
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I wanted to sign up for one last summer but let the chance slip by. I then kicked myself all summer for not doing so. Thanks for the reminder, I'll have to start my research.

posted by Kalinda on January 12th 2009 at 7:51pm
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Does anyone have any experience with the Greenpoint-Williamsburg CSA or the Hearty Roots CSA in Brooklyn? I am considering joining up but I am worried about the selection of items and the price. It seems like the GWCSA might let you select your own produce, which is good, and the Hearty Roots farm has an option for every other week, which would help limit my waste and lower the price.

I'm just wondering if this is something that someone on a limited budget should do. I'm not sure if I could afford to buy more items if I already budgeted myself for the CSA's produce. Although, it might make things more creative for me in the kitchen :)

posted by mariamercedes on January 13th 2009 at 9:27am
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i'm waiting for the brochure from our favorite farm, Groundwork Organics, to arrive. we signed up for their fall/winter csa and loved it. we moved two months ago and i am now planning my first garden. i have been talked out of doing a huge garden since this is my first garden, so we might do the csa again and have a tiny garden. i'm waiting to see what the cost is. i really loved having all of my produce shopping done for me. just picking up a bin once a week is so much easier than thinking about what i want and then picking it out. i know that sounds lazy, but it is true for me! it also keeps me from falling into a food rut, fixing the same things week after week.

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posted by cassiopia on January 13th 2009 at 11:12am
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No such thing in the small town where I live, even though we're in a rural area.

posted by Aldyth on January 13th 2009 at 4:24pm
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I'm on a waiting list for a combined CSA ... I'll wait it out for a few more weeks, then try to join a regular CSA.

posted by stlellen on January 14th 2009 at 3:04pm
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One of 20 NEW CSA's on the scene this year - Flatbush Farm Share. Our distribution site is at Flatbush and Church ave (Church Ave Q-train stop, parking available).

We offer income sensitive and subsidized shares, and are working with a farmer who is very experienced with CSA.

Sign-up here: www.flatbushfarmshare.com

Excitedly Yours,
Stephanie!

posted by FlatbushFarmShare on March 17th 2009 at 11:32am
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