A recent news article touted the opportunity for consumers to join a CSA (or Community-Supported Agriculture) program this season. According to the USDA, a CSA consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes the community’s farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production. In practice, this looks like a consumer purchasing a share of the crops a farm or group of farms produces over the course of the growing season.
Here in Onondaga County, there are many farms that offer CSA models including three highlighted in the article:
- Salt City Harvest Farm offering pick-ups at their farm in Kirkville on Wednesdays or at the CNY Regional Market on Saturdays
- Plum & Mule Community Market will offer a multi-farm CSA share this season with pick-up locations throughout Syracuse
- Brady Farm offers a variety of CSA share types and pick-up options including the option of a “Farmstand Share” that allows consumers to select up to 8 produce items of their choice at one of a number of farmstand locations.
Additional local farms offering CSA options that meet your household’s needs this season can be found by searching the Local Harvest or Buy Local, Onondaga Grown websites.
Read the article on Spectrum News 1:
““Whether you join our CSA or any other CSA, I think it’s important to understand where your food comes from and that supporting local is all about creating a good food system.”
– Mark Pawliw, Plum & Mule Market