CSA

Now that we're merging blogs, here's a post from Brian from a few days ago that I thought should be on the new blog:

We have been thinking a lot about what the future of this country's food production will look like. As gas prices continue to raise and our energy problems continue to compound, we believe that we are going to see a lot of things change. Georgia peaches won't cost 89 cents a pound anymore. California oranges will be a delicacy on the east coast. Bananas will be all but forgotten. This way of life we have gotten accustomed to over the last 50 years will slowly regress to the times before mass transportation of our foods.

Instead, the local farmer will become important again. The transportation of our food will change from hundreds/thousands of miles to tens of miles. We will know our farmers and our farmers will grow food for us directly. Supermarkets will not be so super any more. At least, this is my vision of what the future of our food/energy pairings will look like. I believe I will see this change in my lifetime and certainly in Maia's.

Enter the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). The idea here is that you pay the farmer up front for your share of the farm. The farmer now works for you and all the other members of the CSA. Every week, the farmer harvests the food for the members and the members pick the food up. Members enjoy the farmer's bumper crops and share in his bad seasons. It is economical for the members and predictable for the farmer. Overall, it is a great relationship.

CSAs have been around for several years, but they are really gaining popularity lately. We have been toying with idea of joining one for a few years now and have decided to do so this season. It goes like this: We pre-pay for our season up front. Because of our small family, we started with a half share, so we will pick out our produce every other week at the farmers market. The share includes enough produce for a family of four (which is why we purchased a half share) for about $20 per week. This includes eggs every week and honey whenever it is ready. It is difficult to argue that this is an affordable agreement.

We will try it out this year and adjust our habits as need be. We are really excited to try this and hope to continue buying the majority of our produce (during the Michigan growing season, at least) this way.