Community Supported Agriculture, better known as CSA, provides the perfect opportunity to know your farmer and enjoy fresh, local foods. According to AdirondackHarvest.com, over 30 CSAs are available in the Adirondacks alone!
Just two days ago, the class visited Essex Farm in the Adirondacks! After a brief tour filled with running, electric fences, and “wild water,” the owner of the farm Mark Kimball offered the class all sorts of fresh treats including yogurt, milk, butter, cheese, carrots, onions, and just about any other fresh good we could find (he told us to stuff our pockets with whatever we could find). I’m sure the whole class will agree, local food like that of Essex Farm is clearly a better choice than supermarket food that has been shipped across the globe.
One of the many benefits of CSAs is knowing the farmer’s practices. For example, at Essex Farm, buyers can be sure that fossil fuels are used conservatively, with solar power and horses as the preferred source of energy. Most importantly, buyers form a natural connection because their diet is limited to what can be grown in season. This means that farming is not being forced in unnatural areas, which often demands heavy use of fertilizers and irrigation. Also, by avoiding out of season crops, fossil fuel use is avoided because goods do not need to be sent long distances.
As with many local products, a premium is charged to help support farmers in competition with big corporations that can produce similar product for less money. From the Essex Farm website, prices for one adult is $4,108 per year (about $79 per week). According to the United States Department of Agriculture Cost of Food at Home at Four Levels, U.S. Average, July 2014 estimates that weekly cost for food for a man aged between 19-50 spends between $43.30 and $86.00 per week. This estimate shows that local food is, in fact, affordable (and tasty!) For a price slightly higher, if not about the same, as normal food costs, CSAs provide tasty food close to home!
A photo I took on our trip to Essex Farm on 20 February 2016.
“Official USDA Food Plans: Cost of Food at Home at Four Levels, U.S. Average, July 2014.” United States Department of Agriculture. Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, August 2014. Web. 22 February 2016.
“Essex Farm CSA Membership.” Essex Farm CSA. Essex Farm CSA, 2016. Web. 22 February 2016.
“Adirondack Harvest.” Adirondack Harvest. n.p. , n.d. Web. 22 February 2016.
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