Adventurous Eating
Community-supported agriculture is the best food practice you might not know about.
By Austen Diamond
Simply put, Community Supported Agriculture is a way for consumers to support local farmers. People buy shares (or a subscription) of a farmer’s expected output at the beginning of the growing season. The price is determined by the farmer and can be several hundred dollars in one lump sum. That generally works out to $20-$40 per week. This is valuable startup money for the farmers to buy seed, pay hired help and cover other essential overhead costs.
In return for their investment, investors begin receiving a weekly share of seasonal fruits and vegetables—spring greens, summer squash, late-summer tomatoes—and, sometimes, even meats. Often, investors receive veggies that they’ve never seen or heard of before—that’s the fun, adventurous part of the experience.
Another part of the adventure is financial. By investing on the front end, consumers share the farmer’s seasonal risks. It’s like the stock market, only the dividends are much more delicious. It’s essentially a way for consumers to connect with their food on a deeper level by knowing who grew it and where it came from.
CSA Utah is working hard to connect locals with farmers. A spreadsheet at CSAUtah.org/Find-a-CSA offers a complete list of local CSAs with a complimentary map as well as information on delivery options.
Jeff Williams, CSA Utah Great Salt Lake resource conservation and development coordinator, encourages direct contact with farmers before making a decision on a CSA. With myriad ways to grow veggies and a variety of systems, spending some time to ensure everyone is on the same page is crucial. Then, enjoy the adventure that CSAs offer.
“CSA is a direct action that shareholders can take to ensure farming and farmers remain a viable part of our local communities,” Williams says.
| COMMUNITY -SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE FARMS | |
| SALT LAKE COUNTY Backyard Urban Garden (B.U.G.) Farms 1136 First Ave. Salt Lake City 801-718-7478 BackyardUrbanGardens.com
Late Bloomin’ Heirlooms Live and Thrive Petersen Family Farm Sadee’s Pride DAVIS COUNTY Black Island Farms Borski Farms East Fams LLC Zoe’s Garden UTAH COUNTY Roberts Ranch & Gardens SUMMIT COUNTY Ranui Gardens Christiansen Family Farm 175 E. Sharp Road Vernon 435-839-3482 ChristiansenFarm.com |
WEBER COUNTY Sandhill Farms 1778 N. 6250 East Eden 801-866-3620 CACHE COUNTY Bryan Palmer CSA Joseph’s Naturally Grown
Farm-Garden Sun River Farms Tveit Gardens BOX ELDER COUNTY Heritage Valley Poultry Tagge’s Famous Fruit GRAND COUNTY Sol Food Farms Youth Garden Project— IRON COUNTY
Red Acre Farm WASHINGTON COUNTY |
Directory courtesy CSAUtah.org
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