Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a mutually beneficial relationship between a local farm and the community of people who receive the food the farm produces. Members purchase a share of the harvest in the spring and in return receive a weekly supply of fresh seasonal vegetables picked at their peak of ripeness and flavor. The members agree to share in the inherent benefits and risks of the agricultural season. The arrangement guarantees the farmer financial support and enables many smaller sustainable farms to stay in business, or in a growing number of instances, provides a way for young adults to consider a career in farming.
History of CSA
The CSA concept was first developed in Japan in 1965. The idea blossomed from a group of women concerned with pesticide use, the increase in processed and imported foods, and the corresponding decrease in the local farm population. They called it “Teikei” which translates literally as partnership or cooperation, and philosophically as “food with the farmers face on it”, or face to face agriculture. The first CSA’s appeared in the U.S. in New England in 1986. Now there are over 1,200 CSA’s in North America.
Why CSA?
With only 2% of Americans actually producing food for the other 98%, people are increasingly separated from the source of their food. Community Supported Agriculture is a creative response to this crisis. It is a model that emphasizes locally grown, which promotes a local economy, and a safe food system. Participation in a CSA leads to a deeper understanding of our interdependence on one another and the land. The farm supplies not only nutritious chemical-free food, but an opportunity for a community to come together to develop a sense of place, to reconnect with one another and the rhythms of the seasons, and to preserve open space as working farms.
CSA Shares
As a member of Blooming Glen Farm CSA you will receive an assortment of vegetables from late May to mid- November. Our farm share feeds approximately one family and consists of seasonal, freshly harvested vegetables, including familiar as well as more unusual heirloom varieties. Your share will also include special pick-your-own crops as available: herbs, flowers, green beans, peas, strawberries and cherry tomatoes. You will pick up your vegetables once a week, either on a Tuesday or Friday from 2 to 8 pm. In anticipation of the harvest, we ask that you choose a designated pick up day for the duration of the season. Shares may be split between people but the logistics are up to the sharer. We do ask that the entire share is picked up at one time. It is important that everyone who will be regularly picking up at the farm be registered and receives our newsletter. This is essential for us to be able to communicate necessary information and keep things running smoothly. Members who live a distance may consider organizing themselves into a small group and alternate picking up for one another.
Harvest Expectations
Late Spring/ Early Summer
Arugula, asian greens, basil, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, collards, cucumbers, endive/escarole, fennel, herbs, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, radishes, scallions, shelling peas, snow peas, spinach, spring onions, strawberries, sugar snap peas, swiss chard and turnips.
Mid– Summer
Basil, beets, carrots, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, cucumbers, dill, eggplant, garlic, beans, hot peppers, lettuce, melons, okra, onions, peppers, potatoes, soybeans, summer squash, swiss chard, tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, herbs and flowers.
Late Summer/ Fall
Arugula, basil, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac,
cilantro, collards, dill, eggplant, endive/escarole, garlic, hot peppers,
kale, leeks, lettuce, melons, onions, parsnips, peppers, potatoes, rutabagas,
shallots, spinach, strawberries, summer squash, sweet potatoes, swiss
chard, tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, turnips, winter radish, winter squash,
herbs and flowers.
- For photographs of a typical share, click here.
- Click here to download the Blooming Glen brochure.