September 5th, 2007

Living a greener life #1- Joining a CSA (Ledge Ends Farm)

Posted by Alex Payson at 9:48 am

This post marks the beginning of a series of blogs on some of the ways I try to be more eco-friendly (or earth conscious, green-minded, or whatever else you wish to call the effort to live a life that has less of a negative impact on the world).

A CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) is a system in which a consumer purchases a share of a farm’s produce for the upcoming growing season. This provides the farmer with a guaranteed income for the growing season, and also lets them know in advance how much to produce of each crop. For the consumer, it means you get fresh produce, locally grown, every week from spring to fall. Weekly shares vary depending on what is available and in season.

This year I joined Ledge Ends CSA. Located in East Greenwich, RI they are also certified organic and have a weekly pickup spot right in Providence. This allows me to have locally grown, organic produce for 20 weeks (the length of Ledge Ends CSA season) that I can pick up five minutes from Blue State Coffee.

The quality is amazing, and getting to have that personal connection every week with the people growing your food is incredibly satisfying. Probably the most challenging part of joining a CSA is trying to actually eat the bounty that arrives each week before the next share! A weekly newsletter supplies recipes related to the produce of the week and gives tips on storing and preserving the generous share.

To find a CSA near you check out this national listing compiled by Wilson College- you can search by state, zip code, or farm name.

Happy eating!

Posted in General news, Our causes