“CSA” stands for Community-Supported Agriculture, a farm marketing structure that become popularized in the U.S. in the 1980s. The modern CSA can be attributed to multiple origins: Booker T. Whatley’s Clientele Membership Club in the American South, the formation of the Teikei system by women in Japan, as well as the morhping of community land trusts into cooperatives and produce membership programs in Germany and Switzerland.

The central idea is that a consumer buys a “share” in a farm by paying the farmer up front before the start of the season. The farmer then provides members with a weekly distribution of fresh-picked produce throughout the growing season. In the past few decades, the model has seen all types of iterations and forms: from boxed produce home delivery, to customized shares, to weekly “market-style” pickup at farms and farmers markets, to subscription services. The model has also expanded to include meat, flowers, fruit, eggs, mushrooms, and even grains - and has been co-opted by larger corporations in the form of boxed meal services. Why is this an effective purchasing model?

Benefits for the Farmer: When members invest in shares, farmers are provided with the stability and capital they need to buy inputs and hire labor during the lean springtime. We can easily plan exactly how much we need to grow, because we know how many members we need to feed throughout the season. This leads to less waste generated on the farm, and allows us to save on distribution costs and provide a fresher, better product. Even if the farmer also gets income by attending farmers markets, the cash flow at the beginning of the season ensures that they don’t have to go into debt to purchase seeds, compost, advertisements, fuel, irrigation supplies, and equipment. Also, the farmer and the consumer can both get to know each other, which is incredibly rewarding for a grower - being able to receive feedback and hear how people are enjoying our produce is immensely helpful!

Benefits for the Consumer: As a member, you are taking the risk of supporting and investing in your local farm up front. For that, there are many benefits:

• Food Quality and Diversity: You get a haul of the freshest possible food every week - often picked the day of distribution. The flavor and nutrition of produce diminishes after being picked, especially during transportation, so this is important: fresh-picked food has maximum storage life since it hasn’t sat on a truck, boat, plane, or grocery shelf. Many modern varieties of produce grown on industrial farms are bred to last through long storage and jostling during transportation - not for flavor; Sungold cherry tomatoes simply can’t be shipped or they will split open and rot. In addition to receiving higher quality produce, members will be exposed to new foods and new ways of cooking, which is exciting; you never know when you’ll discover your new favorite vegetable or recipe! Many members say that they are eating healthier than they ever have before enrolling in a CSA.

• Environmental Benefits: Buying a share locally benefits the environment in ways that can’t be overlooked. Whether you drive one, five, or ten miles to pick up your share, the food miles are simply less than those of non-local food. You’re lowering your carbon footprint by choosing local food over food shipped thousands of miles (when you can, of course—we can’t grow coffee, tea, oranges, or cocoa in Vermont). Yes, Northeastern farmers still have to buy inputs that come from other places - but so do other farms.

• Knowing your Farmer: By visiting the farm and reading our weekly newsletter, you get to learn more about how food is actually grown. And if you have kids, they get to learn more about how food is grown. Our current food system feeds a lot of people, but lacks transparency: our nation manages to produce an amazing amount of food, but eaters still have to worry about dangerous toxins and pathogenic bacteria in their food. It also removes consumers from seeing how food is really produced - farm work it is difficult, skilled work, and in this country it is largely completed by recent immigrants making unlivable wages. Does your farmer treat their employees with kindness and compassion, and pay them fairly?

• Seasonality: This goes hand-in-hand with food quality and freshness. Joining a CSA encourages you to eat seasonally. This may seem restrictive at first, but we find it leads to enhanced food pleasure over the long run: we tend to appreciate food when we have to wait for it to come in season again.

• Saving Money: Although we ask you to pay up front, purchasing a share is incredibly economical: it can save you time normally spent walking around the grocery store, and we guarantee that the produce offered will far exceed your expectations on flavor, quality, and freshness for the price paid. Picking up your share usually takes less time than visiting a farmers market or selecting, bagging, and waiting in line to pay for produce at the store. You also get first dibs on most veggies: if you’ve already paid and are committed to the farm, we will give you the cream of the crop first. You also get access to special discount buys (like when we’re up to our ears in canning tomatoes and pickling cucumbers!).

• Community: It’s in the name, after all. In addition to getting to know your farmer and your local seasons, you also get to know your fellow members. They can be another incredible resource for you: from talking recipes at pick-up to getting together for dinner. Members and their children also get access to other fun community-building events like potlucks and field days.