I have been eating by way of a CSA for over 10 years and so occasionally, I jump when someone asks me what a CSA is. Admittedly, I live to talk and write about Community Supported Agriculture, but recently when a friend said that he just couldn’t conceive the plan; I rededicated airtime to a preseason explanation of the concept – along with an iron clad caveat.
The origins of CSA are often credited to a group of Japanese women in the 1960s who became concerned about food quality and some environmental issues of conventional farming. Their group was called Teikei translating to “food with the farmer’s face on it.” The current concept appeared in the early 1980s when Jan Vander Tuin, from Switzerland, brought the idea to his friend Robyn Van En who had a farm in Massachusetts. Within four years, their 30 member CSA grew to 150 subscribers. Today in Japan, a mature movement with millions of members continues to expand. Similar programs have taken hold in parts of Australia, Hungry, India, England, Holland, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, France, Denmark and Germany.
Reportedly there are somewhere in the neighborhood of 13,000 CSAs in North America and the idea continues to quietly grow.
The CSA relationship is based on the grower and the consumer. The consumer registers with a CSA farm and becomes a member committing financially to the farm. Having spent a year as an intern on such a farm, I learned that a wonderful, diverse share of food is available to anyone who longs for a tie to the land.
I’d like to recommend some compelling reasons to register for a CSA this coming season:
You and the children in your life can learn about the origins of your meals.
You can reduce your personal use of fossil fuels.
The survival of local agriculture is critical to preserving farmland near metropolitan areas and your investment towards this end can make that difference.
CSA practices including use of heritage seeds and soil ministry will guard against monotonous eating and promote healthy farm practices.
Newly harvested, the flavors you purchase will have a regenerating affect on your life.
David Cox of Bountiful Blessing Farm will begin deliveries for his 22-week CSA on the first week of May and will continue until the end of September. Subscribers will pick up their ½ bushel of veggies on Thursdays, from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 at Columbia Fresh Farmer’s Market. One can sign up for a season with a registration payment of $25.00. In total, the season costs $550 and arrangements may be made for a dual payment plan.
Good news - our national love affair with instant gratification can even be maintained by this weekly basket as long as you have a bowl and an iron skillet. David will provide the valuables, that is – green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, okra, corn, beets sweet pepper and fresh herbs to name a few.
Ask my people - during summer, if I’m not conjuring a bowl of chopped, raw salad goodness then sautéing does the trick because mouths cannot get fed any faster than by either technique. In fact, since the 18th century, the inexpensive iron skillet has been the perfect partner for freshly harvested vegetables since iron takes less time in which to cook its contents and the skillet is a premium dietary source of iron.
Go for it, you’ll be surprised how you’ll gobble it all and be waiting for more and if you’re out of town for more than a week, then bless lucky friends with some vitamins. Time’s a wasting - after all, David says, “ the tomatoes are sprouting right now.”
RESOURCES:
CSA registration – David Collins, 686 Dry Prong Road, Williamsport, TN 38487 – 931-583-2701
Iron skillets of every description – Ted’s Sporting Goods, 806 South Main Street, Columbia, TN 38401 – 931-388-6387

