I always get a little nervous attending meetings like the open house I went to on Monday. I know those food purists mean well, but I really don't need another food philosophy designed to make me feel guilty. Yes, that cantaloupe I had for dinner probably came from a chemical-laden clear-cut field in Brazil harvested by underage workers getting little pay that was shipped under-ripe across thousands of miles of highway in a truck spewing carbon to a mega-corporation grocery store that doesn't provide worker health benefits. But I can't do much about it. I gotta eat.
So I was really quite surprised to leave this particular open house a little excited ... and hungry. Peppery chives, juicy tomatoes, dark purple berries straight from a bush scant miles from my house, scarlet beets grown in Cache Valley soil and savory farm chickens that died happy were all offered to me by the actual farmers who raised them. These were CSA farms.
Community-Supported Agriculture is a brilliant idea. A CSA farm is a way for food-eating people like me to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer near their community. This is how it works: A farmer offers a certain number of "shares" for sale to the public at the beginning of the growing season. Typically the share consists of vegetables for a family of four based on what is currently in season, but other farm products may be included. In return you receive a box of seasonal produce (usually at a central pickup location) each week throughout the farming season.
This is different than the food co-ops (like Bountiful Baskets and Field to Families) that have recently become deliriously popular in Cache Valley. Food co-ops are grocery store foods offered at discount prices straight off the back of the semi-truck, which is cool. But CSAs are more cool.
When you buy a share in a CSA farm, you are creating a relationship with the farmer who is producing your food. You invest in his or her success, you see how your food is produced (often following organic principles), and you participate in the ups and downs of farm life (based on weather, temperature, rainfall and other things happening outside your window). Cucumbers might grow great, and you get lots of cucumbers in your weekly basket; winter squash might not do so great, but you will know why when you talk to the farmer. In short, you get to connect in a very real way with your food.
This arrangement creates rewards for both the farmer and you. The farmer spends time marketing the food early in the year, before their 16-hour days in the field begin. They receive payment early in the season, which helps with the farm's cash flow. They have an opportunity to get to know the people who eat the food they grow.
And what about benefits for the people who buy shares in the farm? Imagine a fragrant baked eggplant parmigiano on your table. Now imagine that two short days earlier that eggplant was hanging on a vine a few miles from your house, at the peak of purple ripeness, chock-full of flavor and vitamins. That eggplant has your name on it.
The initial payment is significant, but if you calculate it by the week and factor in the good you are doing for your community, for your health and for the planet, you are getting a deal. Even if you don't factor those last three in, it isn't a bad price. But you should, as those who watched the queasy documentary "Food, Inc." on PBS recently already know.
The farmers I met at the open house encouraged people to visit the farm where they've invested, to see how their food is produced and to talk to the farmer. (I plan on visiting my plants too, you know, just to give them some moral support.) Some farms even offer member social events to help develop relationships and to learn more about how food is grown.
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CSA farms located in/near Cache Valley:
Sun River Farms
★ Location: Elwood, Utah (near Tremonton)
★ Product: Variety of fresh vegetables and herbs grown on organic principles
★ Price: Full share, $550; half share, $300
★ Production: 17-week season
★ Delivery: 4 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays at 120 Water St. (downtown Logan)
★ The farmer says: "Garlic freaks will love our variety."
★ Contact: 757-7507 or sunriverfarm@yahoo.com
The Bryan Palmer Farm
★ Location: Wellsville, Utah
★ Product: Variety of fresh vegetables, herbs, honey and flowers grown on organic principles
★ Price: Full share, $320-$380 depending on package
★ Production: 28-week season
★ Delivery: At the farm or at the Cache Valley Gardeners' Market
★ The farmer says: "We make beautiful bouquets available each week."
★ Contact: 245-4579 or csautah1@gmail.com
Heritage Valley Organics
★ Location: Tremonton, Utah
★ Product: Chicken, duck, turkey and goose, managed under organic principles
★ Price: $360
★ Production: 20 weeks
★ Delivery: To be decided
★ The farmer says: "The birds are not caged, and small grains to feed them are raised at the farm."
★ Contact: 770-2365 or mbanca@nebonet.com
The USU Student Organic Farm
★ Location: 800 E. 1750 North, Logan
★ Product: Variety of fresh vegetables, occasional berries
★ Price: Full share, $528; half share, $308
★ Production: 22-week season
★ Delivery: Pick up at the farm
★ The farmer says: "CSA fees go to paying student wages at the farm."
★ Contact: E-mail jennifer.reeve@usu.edu for a sign-up sheet
Corbridge Country
★ Location: Malad, Idaho
★ Product: Berries and beef (all-natural grain and all-natural grass fed)
★ Price: Varies by weight; deposit requested
★ Production: At request, depending on cattle weight
★ Delivery: Price includes cutting, packaging and delivery
★ The farmer says: "A day at the ranch (hayride, horseback riding, BBQ) is included with meat purchase."
★ Contact: 208-766-2644 or corbridgecountry@gmail.com
Other farmers that didn't present at the open house, but still seem cool:
★ Tagge's Famous Fruit: 801-755-8031
★ Tveit Gardens: Nibley, Utah, 770-8714
Go to CSAUtah.org for more information on these farms.
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