I’ve been making intermittent efforts to eat locally produced food since I read Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle some years ago, although I’ve never had the dedication of Kingsolver’s family to eat exclusively local.  I try to grow some veggies at home, but my success with gardening varies.  Foreseeing that weekly Saturday morning visits to the farmer’s market would likely be a challenge this year, I recently signed up for a CSA share.

CSA stands for community supported agriculture, and it’s a way for consumers to buy seasonal fresh produce directly from a local farm.  Some CSAs require shareholders to spend a certain amount of time working at the farm, but mine doesn’t.  I simply pay a set amount of money to get a box of produce at regular intervals (every week, two weeks, or month).  I can choose a large share or a small share, and I’ll get a sampling of whatever is harvested that week.

The subscriptions help the farm to plan for the year, and the consumer shares some of the risk of crop failures.  My particular CSA is very flexible.  I can pause my subscription for a week if I’ll be out of town, add or substitute items, or even opt for a restaurant gift certificate in lieu of produce if I know I won’t have time to cook (the farm and restaurant are owned by the same people).  I have a set pick-up day with about a 12-hour pick-up window, but if I’m unable to pick up my share, I can pay a little extra and have it delivered it to my home or business.  In short, there are lots of options that make it easy for busy people to eat locally grown produce.

I got my first haul a couple of days ago:  kale, portobello mushrooms, heirloom mustard greens, strawberries, chocolate mint, ramps, and two kinds of salad greens, along with some eggs.  So far I’ve used everything but the ramps and chocolate mint (I’m open to suggestions of what to make with those — any ideas?).  One thing I love about the CSA share is that it encourages me to eat things I wouldn’t otherwise eat and to be more creative in the kitchen.  I had never made mustard greens until Friday, but they were delicious sautéed with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and leeks.

I’m trying to add more leafy greens and other fresh veggies into my diet, and the CSA share is a nice way to ensure I eat my greens.  I may sometimes get busy and put off going to the grocery store to buy fresh produce, but I’m pretty good about using what’s already in my kitchen.  If my CSA box includes kale, then I will eat kale.

There are plenty of other reasons to participate in a CSA.  Eating local food might reduce your carbon footprint (although there’s some debate about this).  It also helps the local economy and benefits your health.  Many CSAs use organic farming methods, which means fewer synthetic pesticides end up in your body and in the environment.  In addition, local produce is usually fresher than the produce that’s shipped from thousands of miles away to your neighborhood grocery store, which can mean that it’s more nutrient-dense.  Eating seasonally has health benefits, too.

This Earth Day, if you’re looking for an easy way to benefit your health, community, economy, and the environment, visit www.localharvest.org/csa to find a CSA near you.

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