Hello. I'm a new user, so forgive me if this is not the right place. I was reading about buying a share in a local farm. You pay a certain amount up front (the one I'm looking at ranges from $250 to $500) and then you get a variety of produce weekly through the season, about 6 to 7 months. The farmer makes out on the deal because they get working capital to get through the season. I recently moved from CA to PA. I'm disappointed in the produce I get at the supermarket, both price and quality. And I'm tired of some items going bad a day or two after I bring them home. Anyway, figured I'd throw a line out to see if there are any pitfalls I should be aware of. Thanks.

I have heard of this before, and considered it. I never got too far into it tho, as I dont have the $$ to put up front. I would LOVE to do something like that tho.

thanks, fairy. that's my concern. it's a lot up front. if it works out great. but if it stinks, i'm sure out a lot of dough. i thought it would be a good thing too, especially for my boys. i'd like them to see how food is grown in the ground. i read some places will cut the price, or even give you a free share, in exchange for working the farm.

Is this just for produce or does this include a share of the livestock too? I've never heard of anything like this before. There are several farms out here. Sounds neat:)

not sure about livestock, mom of three. from what i've seen, these tend to be the organic hippy types who probably don't eat meat. but if you're interested, there is a website to find one in your area. i tried to post it, but got blocked b/c i'm a new user and they're afraid it's spam. you can google "community sustained agriculture" or farming to look for one near you. that seems to be another problem. the one closest to us is an hour away, but they sell at a farmer's market nearby. i need to see if I could pick up my share there.

I looked into CSAs briefly last year and would have loved to do it. Unfortunately, 3 of the 4 members of my household are very picky eaters. Depending on what's in season for the month, your share could include some fruits or vegetables that aren't well liked, and would most likely go to waste in my household. That may be a pitfall for you. I think some of these CSAs include a newsletter with cooking tips, and provide recipes to go along with the produce that's in season, which is nice.

BTW, where are you in PA? On another (local) board I frequent, there are a number of people who belong to a variety of CSAs. I've heard nothing but great things about each of the farms around here.

I looked into this last year. Some of those places are a bit pricey. And they fill up really fast, so if your wanting to do this, you have to jump on it quickly.
Some places also require that you volunteer your services for a few hours, for picking and such. Which I wouldnt mind doing.
But the thing I didnt care for is, I read that the places I looked into didnt use pesticides and its very common to find bugs in your food. Like worms in the corn, etc.
I know you can find that at the grocery stores, but its not AS common, and it kinda turned me away from it.

not sure about livestock, mom of three. from what i've seen, these tend to be the organic hippy types who probably don't eat meat. but if you're interested, there is a website to find one in your area. i tried to post it, but got blocked b/c i'm a new user and they're afraid it's spam. you can google "community sustained agriculture" or farming to look for one near you. that seems to be another problem. the one closest to us is an hour away, but they sell at a farmer's market nearby. i need to see if I could pick up my share there.

Could you post the web addy? Leave the http:// off the front of the link. It will let you post that and we can take it from there. Google left me lost is tons of links.

Thanks!

This one might help.
http://www.organicconsumers.org/csa.htm

Did this 2 yrs ago in NJ-- it was $600-- got WAY too much of the SAME thing everyweek-- eggplant, lettuces etc. Got some flowers and a small pumpkin. Wasnt enough variety to make it worth it- but that may be cause NJ-- then again, $600 is ALOT of produce and the week we were away it just went bad-

We do something similar in the summer, because we prefer organic veggies, and supermarkets fail pretty much in that area. We still eat meat btw, and you wouldn't think I was a hippy to look at me...;)

Anyhow, ours isn't a lump sum up front, we just prepay ever week, and the next week, we get a bundle/variety of veggies. It's awesome, and it's great to do it week by week, as if we go on vacation, we're not wasting the money/food.

This one might help.
http://www.organicconsumers.org/csa.htm

Awesome link. Thanks!

What if you spilt a share with a family member, friend or neighbor? It would reduce the cost and you could split the produce so none would go to waste.

thanks for all the feedback. think i'll take a pass on the farm share for a few years and wait til the kids are a little older and less picky. to the person who asked, i'm in Allentown, and the closest farm i could find is in Jim Thorpe, which would be pretty far for a weekly produce trip.

I have a friend who has done it. If you eat a good variety of produce, and in large quantity, it is worth it.

Otherwise, find someone to share with

umm.. why don't you take that $500 and invest it in a garden? You could grow whatever you chose, harvest as you please, and forego the hassle. You could probably buy the stuff at a Farmer's Market for much less.

We always have way too much from our garden, and a lot of it gets tossed. I'm not sure about other places, but around here, you can pay someone $20 to come till your land up if you don't have a tiller. Plants wouldn't cost much at a local greenhouse, and if you wait a couple more weeks, they will be clearancing them.

I've never heard of buying into a farm. Of course, around here, there is nothing BUT farms.