Remember when Amanda and I went to the Farm To Table Convention? Well between that and a networking event that she♥ and I attended at Chatham, we had a lot of options regarding what CSA to chose from.
After meeting with so many different growers and comparing all the variables between packages, we♥ finally committed to Clarion River Organics!
A lot of people asked us, what factors affected our decision?
1. The price: The full share is $25/week. The half share is $15/week. The CSA runs for 22 weeks, which means we♥ will be spending $550 for all of our locally grown, organic produce. We pick-up our share in the South Side, which is only 5 miles away from the house. That saves us the gas we would have to spend driving to the farm (yeah, right)!
2. The options: Clarion River Organics allows you to add on bread and eggs to your order! Not all CSAs have this option. We added eggs:
3. The portions: Each week, we were told to expect 6-10 different items. Here is the photo which we are provided with in our “what to expect email”:
We received:
Pretty happy with what we received, its just exactly what I thought we were going to get and it has been the perfect portion for us throughout the week. Since its early in the season, we received corn flour instead of a fruit or veg. This was a pleasant surprise!
I would have never purchased corn flour in the store, but now I get to experiment with it AND feel satisfied in knowing that its locally.
4. The people: The way these guys handle CSA members is great! Each time I was confused about something, it was addressed and cleared up right away! They send a weekly newletter letting you know what’s happening in the 10 CSA farm participants, specs on the vegetables, recipes, etc. The volunteers at the pick-up location are really nice and helpful as well (we pick up in South Side). The whole experience has really opened my eyes to new kinds of dishes.
BONUS: Since we are not huge veggie eaters, this is a way that we have been integrating more SOLE food into our day to day meals. AND we are creating urban partnerships with regional farmers who strengthen our food system. I am 100% happy with our choice!
Things I’ve Learned: Collard Greens are huge! There are these things called garlic scapes. I have to return my CSA bags next week – I took mine home by accident! Its cool to try something out of your comfort zone. There are things that grow in my community that I never knew existed.
Have you ever thought of joining a CSA? Did you?
What affected your decisions to join/not join?
SOLE for the Soul 