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 pre-purchase a share of the harvest 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 in the “off-season”, and a community of eaters who are invested in the success of their farmers.
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. Similarly, in the early 1970’s in Alabama, African American horticulturist and Tuskegee Institute professor Booker T. Whatley, envisioned successful small farms marketing their product directly to customers through Clientele Membership Clubs, and pick-your-own crops. The first use of the term “Community Supported Agriculture” was by two farms in New England in 1986. Now there are over 12,000 CSA’s in North America.
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 organic 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.
Length of Season: Our season runs for 24 weeks. We aim for the first week of distribution to be late May which takes us until early-November.
Pick-up days: CSA members pick-up on their designated day at the farm in Perkasie, either on Tuesday or Thursday, between 1-7 pm. Full share members pick-up weekly for 24 weeks. Half share members pick-up every other week, on either A or B week, for a total of 12 weeks.
We also offer an 8- week pick-your-own flower share. (PYO Flowers are included in the on-farm CSA veggie shares. This share is available for those only interested in purchasing a pick-your-own flower share.)