While making myself more greatly aware of horticulture and the environment, I'm also being turned on to sustainable agriculture. Sustainable agriculture refers to agricultural production that can be maintained without harming the environment. The best way to support such endeavors is to buy local - support family farms. That's where my #11 (shop at a farmers' market) comes in.
Karen G. has introduced me to the idea of buying "shares" of a local farm's annual crop through a CSA. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a partnership between a farm and a community of responsible consumers. By paying for your produce upfront in the winter and springtime, you become “shareholder” of the farm’s yearly harvest. And each week during the growing season (approximately 20 weeks), you receive a portion of your share. This sounds like a great idea, and I think I'm going to sign up this week through Farmer Dave's of Dracut, which has a weekly distribution in Tewksbury.
Check out this video to see how the CSA in Tewksbury works. If you can't see the full screen, click here.
A small share that feeds 1-2 people costs approximately $17.50 per week. That's not bad for veggies that were harvested the same day! However, the total cost has to be paid in full by June 1st. I wish I had learned about this sooner, and I could have done a payment plan, but it's all good. I DO want to support local farmers, particularly ones that use mainly organic methods. AND, I could quite possibly see more of Karen on distribution days!
Speaking of Karen, she bought me a coloring book to assist me with #21. Now I have to go get some crayolas!
1 comment:
I will still split a small share with you if you want. We still have a couple of days. Let me know.
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