Simple Seasonal

Healthy Seasonal Recipes Inspired by Your Local Farm and CSA

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Recipes
  • How-To
  • Farm to Table
  • Playing With Food
  • Contact

21 Reasons You Should Join a CSA

February 25, 2016 By Rachel 19 Comments

Share
Pin56
Tweet
Yum2
Share
Flip
58 Shares

21 Reasons You Should Join a CSA – Celebrate National CSA Day with Simple Seasonal and join the growing movement to bring agriculture back to your local community.

love your local farm and CSA

Note about the image above: This is an actual carrot that I got from my CSA – Living Hope Farm!

National CSA Day is coming soon. At Simple Seasonal, Dan and I are super excited because the inspiration for this website came about from falling in love with our local CSA farm. Being a part of a CSA has revolutionized our dinner table where we now serve fresh, delicious, nourishing, and seasonal meals.

Seedlings

What is a CSA?

If you’re unfamiliar with what a CSA is, it stands for “Community Supported Agriculture.” The function of a CSA stays true to its name. It’s a farm in which individuals purchase a “crop share” during the winter and early spring, before the season begins. Then, throughout the growing season, share members either come to the farm weekly to pick up their already-paid-for shares of just-harvested vegetables, or they pick up their shares at a pre-determined location. Shareholders financially support the farmer in advance to grow fresh vegetables for them in the upcoming growing season.

CSA Box

The content of each week’s share truly follows the seasons, as everything is grown from seed to seedling, tended, and then harvested on the premises. Most CSA farms either carry the “naturally grown” or “organic” label, which are fairly similar in their implication – no pesticides or chemical fertilizers, plus sustainable farming practices. In other words, vegetables you can really feel good about eating. Above is an example of my recent crop share from last week (February). Yes! Many farms continue to grow through the winter under the shelter of greenhouses. As you can see, we are abounding in winter leafy greens and root vegetables, but before I know it we’ll be carting home sugar snap peas and quarts of strawberries. Below is a photo of my little one from a couple of years ago. To this day he is always sneaking fresh cherry tomatoes, carrots, green beans and berries from my weekly bag of goodies.

Picking-Up Weekly CSA Share

Over the last few years, I’ve discovered a number of benefits, some expected and some unexpected, related to buying a crop share from a CSA farm. So, without further ado, here are 21 reasons you should join a CSA!

Benefits of CSA farms for the farmer:

  1. The opportunity to get to know the people they grow food for. Good ol’ job satisfaction.
  2. Better cash flow for farms as they plan for a new season. Early payments from shareholders means enough money to buy seeds, farm supplies, and plan for labor expenses at the start of the season.
  3. When farmers can identify their market before the beginning of the season, they can plan the use of their resources more efficiently, which means less waste of money and of crop.
  4. A better market for growing a greater variety of produce, including heirloom varieties. (Note in the picture below the farmer holding cylindra beets – an heirloom variety. You won’t find those in most grocery stores!)
  5. Instead of spending time marketing already-grown vegetables during the warmer months, farmers can spend that time in the winter – marketing the vegetables they plan to grow. This means more time for them to focus on what’s important during the growing season; growing you stellar produce.
  6. Eliminating the middle-man in the packaging, transportation, and selling of produce. This means more profit ends up in the growers pocket, which they can then reinvest in their business.
Farmer Holding His Crop

Benefits of CSA farming for the environment and future generations:

  1. Less CO2 emissions from the energy required to transport and refrigerate produce across long distances.
  2. No groundwater pollution from pesticides and fertilizers, which ensures better drinking water for us and future generations.
  3. No damage to the fish population from pollution caused by the runoff of fertilizers that feeds oxygen-depleting organisms and throws off the balance of our fisheries, lakes, ponds, and streams.
  4. Management of healthy nutrient cycling of the soil by maintaining the balance of things like nitrogen, phosphorous, and methane. This means the soil remains productive for this generation and those to follow.
  5. The humane treatment of animals.
  6. Elimination of the “hidden cost” of pesticide and fertilizer production on the community. This is an almost 10 billion dollar industry!
  7. Taking that Big Ag industry from large corporations and putting those dollars, instead, into the local economy and local pockets.
You-Pick Flowers

My little one helping me with “you-pick” cherry tomatoes. (Which means picking tomatoes and stuffing as many as possible into your cheeks before Mommy scolds you!)

Cheeks Full of Fresh Picked Cherry Tomatoes

CSA Benefits for You and Me:

  1. Strawberry picking. Nuff said. Seriously though, eating strawberries out of a chemical-free strawberry patch on a sunny May afternoon is a little glimpse of heaven…
  2. Pesticide and chemical-free produce at a lower cost than the grocery store. I calculated a few years ago that being part of a CSA saved my family roughly $500 that year compared to if I had been buying the same organic produce at the store! That was enough to sell me, and literally made chemical-free produce affordable for my family.
  3. Feeding myself and my family chemical-free produce. The pesticides and fertilizers used in conventional farming have been shown to be carcinogenic (cancer causing), and endocrine disruptors (i.e., your hormones). On a greater scale, this translates into increased mortality and morbidity within the community and the resulting medical expense and loss of labor.
  4. The privilege of eating vibrant, just-harvested produce. If you’re a part of a CSA, say goodbye to wilted greens and tasteless tomatoes. Your produce will be harvested when it’s ripe and, in most cases, find its way into your kitchen within a day of being picked. This means better flavor and more nutrient-rich produce.
  5. Access to heirlooms and more unusual produce varieties, and the fun that comes with trying new things!
  6. The ability to get to know your farmers and develop a relationship of trust with those that nourish your family.
  7. Creating for yourself and the next generation a relationship with the earth, outside of structured parks and playgrounds, is good for cognitive development and happiness.
  8. Creating for yourself and the next generation an understanding of what real food is and the value of its production, which means better nutrition choices and health throughout your family’s life.
You-Pick Strawberries

You-pick strawberries. It’s best to eat with both hands when it comes to field-fresh berries.

Picking Strawberries

One happy free-range turkey and one happy kid.

CSA Turkey

As you can see, there are plenty of reasons to join a local CSA this year. How about you? Are there any benefits you’d like to add? If so (or if you just LOVE your CSA), I want to hear about you experience in the comments below! I hope you will, along with me, look forward to the health of yourself, your family, your community, and the next generation as you consider supporting local farms in the upcoming growing season!

CSA Rooster

For this post I sourced “Eating Local- healthy farms, healthy communities, healthy you (March 2003),” by Cornell students Heather Irvine, Elizabeth Karabinakis and Kimberly Portmess. Click the link to read the paper. 

Get Your Next Meal In Your Inbox!

Enter your email address to get the latest recipes and relevant seasonal content on the blog!

Thank you for subscribing.
Something went wrong.
I agree to have my personal information transfered to AWeber ( more information )

I will never give away, trade, or sell your email address. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Share
Pin56
Tweet
Yum2
Share
Flip
58 Shares

Filed Under: Farm to Table, Food Education Tagged With: chemical-free cooking, community supported agriculture, crop share, CSA, CSA farms, Farmer's Market, local agriculture, local farmer

« Crock-Pot Vegetable Chili
Sweet Potato and Gouda Quesadillas »

Comments

  1. Laura @MotherWouldKnow says

    February 26, 2016 at 11:15 am

    I definitely loved the CSA we belonged to for a few years. We’ve switched to another “box a week” from Hungry Harvest, which provides food that is rejected by groceries for not being pretty enough. The fruits and vegetables they supply are perfectly fine, just not “pretty” – and Hungry Harvest gives food to needy families too. Using this service reduces food waste and feeds those less fortunate. Another way to support more rational food distribution.

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      March 1, 2016 at 10:50 am

      Hungry Harvest sounds like an awesome organization! The CSA I’m a part of is a non-profit that gives to the local food bank and works with the local school to raise money for donated shares for some impoverished families in my community. It’s great getting food from a sources with a heart for people and the planet, isn’t it?

      Reply
  2. Jan says

    February 21, 2017 at 7:12 pm

    Can u give me the price it would cost to join???

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      February 24, 2017 at 6:27 pm

      It will depend on what part of the country you live in and what size crop share you choose to purchase. My CSA currently charges $475 for a small share and $775 for a large share. That said, I live in the Philadelphia area, which tends to be a bit expensive compared to some areas in the US. 4 years ago I calculated how much it would cost for me to purchase an equal amount of organic vegetables from the grocery store and the CSA share ended up be a significant savings, not to mention a better quality product.

      Reply
  3. faith says

    March 2, 2017 at 11:58 pm

    when deciding if we should or shouldn’t I know I did the math to figure out the per week cost even though we were paying all at once up front. I then divided it out per day per person. I decided that my family was worth less then $1 a day per person and the weekly price was the average I would have spent at the grocery store on less organic produce. I also lined up a share the spare friends. because there is only so much you can cook in a week sometimes. oh I have also been researching vegetable heavy smoothie recipes to help with all the leafy greens I may not have time to cook.

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      March 17, 2017 at 10:45 pm

      Less than a dollar a day! I know I pay much more at the grocery store!

      Reply
  4. Marilyn says

    March 6, 2017 at 9:04 pm

    We love our CSA, the cost is just under $300 for 14 weeks. One of the benefits is nothing comes wrapped in plastic like grocery store produce. We compost non edible parts of the produce so nothing is going into a landfill.

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      March 17, 2017 at 10:44 pm

      That’s awesome Marilyn! I use reusable bag for my produce as we’re expected to bring our own bags. The composting is inspiring! I live in a condo, but maybe someday I’ll be able to do the same. I guess that’s another benefit to my CSA membership though. I live in a fairly urban area, but still get to enjoy sustainably grown, freshly harvest produce!

      Reply
  5. Jennifer says

    April 21, 2017 at 8:13 am

    I joined my first CSA yesterday and I’m so excited! I went with a smaller weekly share and bi-weekly eggs (what’s better than farm fresh eggs??) and it was $390 for 22 weeks (Pittsburgh area). I have two teenagers, two pet rabbits and a constant flow of foster rabbits, so I don’t think anything will go to waste!

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      May 11, 2017 at 10:12 am

      LOL! I very much doubt that anything will go to waste in your busy household! I adore rabbits. A rabbit family has taken up residence under the bushes just outside my back patio door and my six year old started putting carrots out for them about a month ago. Now I very much doubt they’ll be going anywhere soon! I love watching them every morning. They’re so cute!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Becoming a member of a CSA! – CSA Member says:
    June 25, 2018 at 10:27 pm

    […] BENEFITS OF A CSA […]

    Reply
  2. A simplified kitchen space before the holidays - Your Organizing Consultants says:
    September 26, 2018 at 12:45 pm

    […] delivery services or CSAs (community supported agriculture), can take away the painstaking process of getting food into the kitchen. Although they come at an […]

    Reply
  3. Community Supported Agriculture - Scholars Space says:
    October 17, 2019 at 9:53 am

    […] Racheal (2016). “21 Reasons you Should Join A CSA.” https://simpleseasonal.com/farm-to-table/21-reasons-you-should-join-a-csa […]

    Reply
  4. CSA-A New model of Farming Practice. - Scholars Space says:
    October 17, 2019 at 9:59 am

    […] Racheal (2016). “21 Reasons you Should Join A CSA.” https://simpleseasonal.com/farm-to-table/21-reasons-you-should-join-a-csa […]

    Reply
  5. my plastic-free life | the humble sage says:
    January 19, 2020 at 1:05 pm

    […] last thing i will mention about foods … JOIN A CSA! seriously it’s really cool to meet your local farmers who are working night and day to […]

    Reply
  6. 140 Things To Do – Stir Crazy Family says:
    April 14, 2020 at 11:02 am

    […] science and the benefits of a CSA as it applies farmers, the environment, and future generations here. To find your local CSA opportunities click […]

    Reply
  7. 2022 CSA Farm Shares – Moonstone Farm says:
    January 24, 2022 at 2:34 pm

    […] Never been part of a CSA? No worries. Check out this blog piece: https://simpleseasonal.com/farm-to-table/21-reasons-you-should-join-a-csa […]

    Reply
  8. CSA Shares now available! – Moonstone Farm says:
    January 25, 2023 at 4:42 pm

    […] cover our time and fuel.Sign up!Never been part of a CSA? No worries. Check out this blog piece: https://simpleseasonal.com/farm-to-table/21-reasons-you-should-join-a-csaWe hope you consider joining the farm as a CSA member! We promise, you won’t regret it.If you have […]

    Reply
  9. 2024 CSA Shares now available. Sign up today! – Moonstone Farm says:
    January 11, 2024 at 10:29 am

    […] farm delivery vehicle.Sign up!Never been part of a CSA? No worries. Check out this blog piece: https://simpleseasonal.com/farm-to-table/21-reasons-you-should-join-a-csaWe hope you consider joining the farm as a CSA member! We promise, you won’t regret it.If you have […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hi, I'm Rachel! Welcome to Simple Seasonal, a resource for simple, healthful, and delicious recipes that help you make the most of seasonal produce from your local farmer's market, CSA, or home garden. Simple Seasonal is committed to a whole foods diet. With an occasional cookie... ;)


Recipes in Your Inbox!

Sign up to get free updates!

Search

Connect With Us

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Connect With Us!

If you're active on social media, you'll find Simple Seasonal there as well. Feel free to connect, share, and say hello!

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Discover Fall Recipes

Chicken Livers with Leeks and Kale
Quick and Easy Kale
Hearty Split Pea and Ham Soup
Homemade Thousand Island Dressing
Beef and Pork Italian Meatballs
Spiced Hasselback Butternut Squash

Discover Fall Recipes

Southern Fried Apples
slow cooker boneless turkey breast with gravy on a plate
ginger snap pumpkin whoopie pies
Lavender Bee's Knees Cocktail
Maryland Style Blue Crab Cakes - Finally, a crab cake recipe that everyone can get behind. Lots and lots of crab and ZERO pointless filler! | SimpleSeasonal.com
Sticky Chipotle Cauliflower Wings

Copyright © 2025 · Simple Seasonal · Privacy Policy · ↑ Back to top

Privacy Policy