Why choosing a CSA is a healthy choice for you and your community

As someone who started my career as a baker and chef, I’ve always valued finding the best ingredients possible. I try to prioritize nutritious, organic whole foods but finding affordable, excellent organic fruit and vegetables at your local grocery store can be a bit hit and miss. That’s why I am a subscriber and a huge supporter of my local Austin CSA. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture and as defined by Local Harvest, a CSA directory site,

“...a farmer offers a certain number of "shares" to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a "membership" or a "subscription") and in return receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce.”

Before becoming suppliers to local CSAs, these farms must meet certain criteria to ensure the best quality. Some CSAs build one variety box and everyone gets the same selection (kind of like a Birchbox, Stitchfix, or Trunkclub subscription box). Others have a “market place” format that allows members to select their produce for the week. My CSA has a “market place” where, in addition to the usual produce, they also offer eggs, meat, honey, dried beans, and soap. Some CSAs deliver straight to your door, while others, like mine, have a common meeting area and you pick up your box. We meet at my neighborhood community center and as we’re still in the thick of COVID-19, everything is set out for us, 6ft apart. I arrive at a set time with my own bags to take the produce home in. My kids and I love doing this every other Friday; we see neighbors that we haven’t been able to spend time with and feel part of something bigger than ourselves which is important with all of us isolated in quarantine.

Supporting Your CSA is Good for Everyone

There are so many benefits to ordering from a CSA for you, your family, and even your community! CSA produce is much better for you than store-bought produce as it’s usually more nutritious and tasty. One of the main reasons for this is that it simply gets from the farm to you much quicker with fewer middlemen and storehouses. With such fresh, delicious variety, I find that my family is willing to try new things.

Benefits to you:

• Access non-GMO, organic foods for less than at the grocery store

• Eat local, seasonal foods

• Participate in a passionate, health community of farmers and consumers

• May be able to visit the farm

  • Develop a relationship with farmers

  • Learn about food production and local produce and procedures

• Discover new foods

Benefits to the farmer:

• Pre-sell their produce to help with cashflow

• Develop a relationship with their customers and community

• Share some of the seasonal risk (some CSAs require annual subscriptions)

• Able to focus on sustainable farming methods

Healthier food from better farming practices

As most CSAs only sell organic food, the farmer has not used any chemicals on them and the crops are not GMO (genetically modified). Not only will you get better quality and save time shopping at a CSA but you usually will save a bit of money as you’re basically buying directly from the source. The importance of supporting local, small farmers can’t be overstated. These are the farmers who care about our planet and understand that nurturing the soil with more sustainable and chemical-free methods will help grow more nutrient-dense and bio-diverse produce.

My bumper crop from from my local CSA

CSAs are a great solution to help you get healthier and keeping small farmers who care about you and the planet in business. If you would like to find a CSA in your local area, localharvest.org is a place to start. I hope that I have persuaded you to look around your area and see that local, fresh, sustainable, and organic food is more accessible and more affordable than you may have thought. Eat locally and live a healthier life!

If you’d like help evaluating how your diet might be affecting your mood, health, or relationships, schedule a free coaching session with me here.