GardenHelp.org

As regular readers know, I’m an avid patron of my local farmer’s markets. I try to grow as much food as I can and then supplement with as much locally grown meats, produce, cheese, eggs, fish and so forth as possible. In my small residential plot, I don’t have enough room to produce enough food for our family of two. I suppose I could join a local community p-patch program and try to grow more there. But honestly between working in my own garden and being a professional garden coach, I don’t know that I could keep up with another plot of land. So, I plug in food items in every nook and cranny in my garden as possible. And, I shop locally.

Last Sunday at the market my regular vegetable supplier had forms to join her CSA group. She has many regulars and was accepting just a few more applicants. I peered into a CSA box that one of her patrons was picking up. For $25 a week, paid in advance, he got a fantastic box filled with a braid of garlic, several onions, a huge bag of lettuce greens, another huge bag of braising greens, a pie pumpkin, a big bag of potatoes, a bag of brussel sprouts, and a string of brilliant red thai peppers to dry. I grabbed a form and told her I’d be in touch.

I went home and did the math. Really, with prices increasing and my regular attendance at the market guaranteed, it just made sense to sign up. My husband agreed. So, today I mailed off a check for $450 that will get me a weekly box of produce from June through October of next year. I know I’ll supplement my box with other farmer’s market selections and from my own garden. My box doesn’t provide fruit (okay, it does have fruits that we call vegetables like tomatoes, but not sweet stuff like berries and apples), so I’ll be foraging through the market for that. But, still, that’s part of the fun of visiting the market for me!

The food comes from a community of organic, local farms that work together to provide fantastic food to the community. I buy farmer direct, so unlike organic delivery box services, I cut out the middle man. Essentially, I buy into the community of farms directly. I like this. I may not have the time or the space to farm, but in a way my check means someone will be farming specifically for me — not for Safeway or a big distributor or a small distributor. It makes it feel, well, and actually is, just a bit more local and personal. And, it’s cheaper! I called a good friend who buys from an organic delivery service. She pays $35/week for her “large” box. So, $10/wk to have it come to my door? Hmmm…I’d rather visit the market myself. Plus, I don’t know that hers is all local. I’ve seen an orange or two show up in her box from time-to-time, and I guarantee those aren’t grown in Western Washington!

Want to learn more about CSAs:

• USDA Agricultural Library on Alternative Farming Info Systems (I do find it funny that farming to feed an individual is “alternative”, but I suppose it speaks to how far removed we are from our food.)
• Biodynamic Farming & Gardening Association