Own a Piece of the Farm!

There's nothing tastier and healthier for you than farm-fresh produce. Thanks to new farm share programs, you don't have to run out to a roadside stand every time you want something fresh for dinner. Through Community Supported Agriculture, you can get fresh produce delivered to your community throughout the growing season – while doing something good for the environment and small farms.

Through CSA or farm share programs, you buy a share of a nearby farm's bounty at the beginning of the growing season. While you pay for several months' deliveries up front, it usually works out to much less than you'd pay for the same amount of produce at your grocery story. Each week, the farmer brings the produce to a delivery site in your community.

• Buying local produce supports local farms and gives them up-front cash flow for the planting season.
• It's better for the environment because small, family-run farms can more easily practice environmentally friendly farming. The food travels a shorter distance from the farm to your table, saving energy and reducing carbon emissions.
• Farm-shared produce is better for you because it's fresher and more full of nutrients. It often encourages families to try new vegetables they might otherwise not have purchased at the store. For instance:

- Spring: asparagus, artichokes, beans, leaks, rhubarb and spinach
- Summer: zucchini, beans, peas, berries, peppers, eggplant, tomatoes and corn
- Autumn: potatoes, squash, cauliflower, broccoli, grapes, cabbage, apples and pears
- In winter, eat produce that you've canned or frozen throughout the growing season, or treat yourself to citrus and bananas from the store.

• Type "farm share + your state" in your favorite search engine.
• Go to LocalHarvest.org and click on "CSA" or "farms."
• Contact your local university extension.

Also, consider creating a community garden on a large patch of land in your neighborhood, and start your own mini-farm share program. If you find yourself with more produce than you can handle, your local food pantry will be happy to take it off your hands.