![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.raisingjane.org\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/CSA-8505.jpg\" "\\"CSA-8505\\"")
<\/p>\n\t\t\t\tHere are three little letters with big meaning:<\/p>\n
CSA<\/p>\n
Before I tell you what they mean, let me ask you this \u2026<\/p>\n
\u2026 how much do you love having fresh, organic produce for yourself and your family?<\/p>\n
I\u2019m imagining you\u2019re shouting, \u201cWe love that a lot, MaryJane!\u201d<\/p>\n
So here\u2019s another question \u2026<\/p>\n
\u2026 how much would you love having fresh, organic produce every week?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Listen up, ladies, we know that farmgirls are some of the freshest girls on the planet\u2014<\/p>\n
so it would make sense that our food be fresh too, right?!<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s where those three little letters come in.<\/p>\n
Community Shared Agriculture aka CSA.<\/p>\n
It has a nice sound to it, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n
Wanna know what it means?<\/p>\n
CSA is a way for farmers to sell shares of their crops directly to consumers. When you buy a CSA share, you are buying a portion (or a \u201cshare\u201d) of whatever that farm produces for the season, which you get via a weekly box of what\u2019s in season at that point.<\/p>\n
Get it?<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s say you buy a CSA share from Farmer Fran, who grows lettuce, carrots, strawberries, potatoes, and some other veggies that you\u2019ve never even heard of.<\/p>\n
Every week, you and all the other lucky folk who\u2019ve bought a CSA share from Fran will get a box with your \u201cshare\u201d of whatever is ripe and ready to harvest\u2014lettuce is ready early in the season, while potatoes will come later.<\/p>\n
Farmers sell CSA shares as a way to increase their cash flow at the beginning of the growing season, and also as a way to involve local consumers in the realities of farming.<\/p>\n
Why should you buy a CSA share? In addition to helping Farmer Fran, you\u2019ll have fresh, healthy, and delicious food every week.<\/p>\n
Makes sense, yes?<\/p>\n
And remember those veggies you’ve never even heard of before? I bet they\u2019ll soon be your favorites when you join the CSA nearest you<\/a>. (Type in my zip code, 83843, and see how many I have in my area alone.)<\/p>\n Eating seasonally and locally is the goal in the long run, right?<\/p>\n But you\u2019re a farmgirl\u2014you already knew that.\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Here are three little letters with big meaning: CSA Before I tell you what they mean, let me ask you this \u2026 \u2026 how much do you love having fresh, organic produce for yourself and your family? I\u2019m imagining you\u2019re … Continue reading