Why Should We Care About CSAs?
Join the growing (pun intended) number of people who are discovering CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture). A CSA, also known as "subscription farming," is a way for people to buy super fresh, in-season produce like fruits and vegetables and even meat directly from local farmers. It helps the farmers when they need funds in the beginning of the growing season, while offering members great fresh-from-the-dirt produce. Generally, you buy a 'share', and then you get a regular delivery of fresh goodies (usually weekly) throughout the growing season.
There are so many reasons to join a local CSA. Here are 5 good ones:
1. Supporting local businesses: Being a member of a CSA directly supports a local farmer. Our friend Woody Tasch, the author of Inquiries into the Nature of Slow Money: Investing As If Food, Farms and Fertility Mattered, is part of a growing (again pun intended) community of investors that believe in the benefits of investing in local farmers is a great way to create healthier more sustainable local economies.
More...2. Eating locally grown, and hopefully organic produce: Not all locally grown produce is organic, but in researching farms in our area, we found out that most local farms are transitioning to organic, which means they are in the process of eliminating harmful chemical fertilizers and pesticides. It can take a few years for conventional farms to be certified as organic. There are also many ways that farmers minimize or eliminate pesticides and harmful chemicals, but do not have the resources to fully qualify for organic certification.
3. Knowing where your food comes from: With all the "green washing" going around, there is no downside to buying from a trusted community member. And it's nice to know that you are treading more lightly on the planet by not purchasing produce flown in from other countries.
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4. Eating seasonally: This is a little more challenging after being used to getting whatever we want any time of the year. But even if you don't want to be militant about it, you can make it a creative challenge and make the bulk of your diet seasonal. The good news is that the produce you eat in season is more favorable, fresh and nutritious at that time.
5. Teaching your children about the where food comes from: If you ask most children where their food comes from, they will tell you the grocery store. Teaching our children where food comes from and how it is grown will make them more likely to be adventurous and healthy in their eating habits and maybe turn them into better custodians of the planet too. Joining a CSA is a great way to teach your kids about the importance of supporting local farms.
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Listen to GD Meg's Green Light: Short & Sassy podcast on CSAs.
To find a CSA near you - LocalHarvest.org
The Green Divas Radio Show, podcasts, audio vignettes and blog posts feature fun and low-stress ways to live a deeper shade of green, while maintaining some comfort and style. Green Diva Meg, co-host Green Diva Lisa and sidekick, Green Dude Paul offer tons of easily accessible information and resources to help make the journey to a more sustainable world easier and a little more fun and entertaining. The radio show broadcasts live every Saturday morning from WMTR 1250 AM in Northern, NJ/NY Metro area, streaming live on WMTRam.com, or catch up on the podcast.
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