Toxic Free NC Tip of the Week: Join a CSA Farm

Get your local organic veggies - join one of Raleigh's CSA farms.

Raleigh is so lucky to have CSA farms, where you can get your weekly veggies while helping to keep a local sustainable farmer in business.

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and it means that you can buy a share in a farm’s output for the year directly from the farmer. They all work a little differently, but the basic idea is that you pay a lump sum early in the year, then you get food every week through the growing season. Most CSAs have fruits and veggies - some also offer flowers, herbs, meats, poultry, eggs or dairy products. Some give you a box of produce each week, and others let you pick and choose what you want. Some also offer working shares, where you get a discount in exchange for putting in some work hours on the farm.

In all cases, you’re getting super fresh, locally-grown food from a person you actually know: awesome. Many CSA farmers use organic, sustainable and/or humane farming practices which is great for several reasons: one, the stuff you eat has no pesticides or other chemical junk in it; two, you’re supporting a responsible business that’s not polluting your environment or anyone else’s; and three, all that organic and free-range food can be hard to find in stores, and super expensive where it is found, so you end up saving money.

I’ve been a member of Hilltop Farms CSA for 5 going on 6 years now, so I can recommend CSAs based on a lot of personal experience! It’s been a great culinary experience: I’ve been totally spoiled with easy and cheap access to many of my favorite foods - strawberries, watermelons, eggplants, peppers, sweet potatoes and spinach. Plus, I’ve acquired some new favorite foods that I never would have chosen for myself, but I got them from my CSA, so I learned to cook them, and it turns out I love them - veggies like okra, swiss chard and fancy Asian cabbages. Everything just tastes better when it’s really fresh.

So, if your interest is piqued, check out Toxic Free NC’s handy dandy guide to find a CSA in Raleigh or wherever you are in NC (it’s from last year, but ignore that - it’s still good).

In addition to Hilltop Farms, here are some of the other CSAs serving Raleigh that I’ve heard good things about:
Five Points CSA
Coon Rock Farm
Double-T Farm
Mid-Chatham Farmers Alliance CSA
Timberwood Organics
Vollmer Farm
Wild Onion Farms
(Thanks to the folks in the comments for your additions to this list!)

And, here are some tips for prospective CSA members on getting the most bang for your buck:

* A standard CSA share is usually enough for 2 - 4 people, depending on how often you cook at home. Some farms offer smaller shares, but others don’t. If you’re a 1 or 2 person household, or if you’re just not sure you cook often enough to use up everything you get, you could split a share with someone in the same boat. You can trade off weeks, or split the food each week.

* It may turn out that your CSA has a bumper crop of a vegetable that you’ve never cooked before, or that you only know one way to prepare. Don’t be intimidated, and don’t make the same thing over and over again (you’ll get sick of it!) - consult a good veggie cookbook (I recommend Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison, or any of the Moosewood Cookbooks), or a cooking blog (I love me some 101cookbooks.com) and teach yourself how to fix new veggies. It’s good for you!

* The “make a big pot and eat it for lunch all week” strategy for economical eating is a great idea, and a great way to use up your CSA veggies while they’re fresh, except for one small problem: by about the third day, I get sick of eating whatever it is, even if it’s delicious. So, I’ve modified it to the “make a big pot and freeze half” strategy. Get yourself a stash of freezer bags, heavy foil and tupperware, and freeze half a pot of soup, a second pan of eggplant parmagiana, a second batch of pesto or tomato sauce, or half a quiche. It’s like a little present you give yourself a few months later when you’re starving and can’t bear the thought of cooking.

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Politics , Other posts by Billie Karel.

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