Farmers market bounty
I just ran across this Washington Post article from the end of January reminding folks to sign up for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs. These are located in the Washington, D.C. area. Go to www.localharvest.org for CSAs in your area. Local harvest includes a nationwide list.
I haven’t gone back through the list provided to see if any have sold out since the article was printed. The Virginia section is a bit messed up (not my fault). For some reason the last letter on the end of the sentence is at the beginning of the next line. I dunno. But you’ll want to pay attention for the Web links.
For an annual membership fee, CSAs provide a wide array of options of fruits, veggies, meats and flowers. Each farm has different prices, products and delivery methods.
Here’s how CSAs work: Customers pay an annual membership fee in advance to cover farm production costs. The farmer provides a “share” of the harvest — a box of seasonal produce — on a weekly basis for a predetermined number of weeks. On most farms, a full share is enough vegetables to feed a family of four (two adults, two children) or two vegetarians for one week. (Half-shares and mini-shares are also available.)
There are a few more recommended in the comments. If you have any to add please post here.
Another cool thing about getting connected to local farms that are open to the public — a lot of them have cute animals, a bonus for kids. So you can go check it out, maybe buy some products and let the kids check out the other kids (goats).
Here’s the link: http://tinyurl.com/yly3k2d
Spring is on the way — catch some rays this weekend!