Community Garden

My wife, children and I have just joined a Community Supported Agriculture movement. We are very optimistic that this will benefit us in many ways. I wanted to tell you all about it. CSA is a mutually beneficial relationship where the support of a community of members enables farmers to devote their energies to sustainable farming practices which in turn provide members with safe, nutritious, fresh produce. Thousands of families in the US pledge their support for local CSA farms in exchange for a weekly portion of the farm's harvest. By providing most of the financial support before the season begins, members express their commitment to share the risk of poor harvests and enjoy the surplus of abundant harvests. This consumer support frees farmers from the burden of debt while providing the nourishing food we all need. CSA is fast becoming an alternative to factory farming, over-reliance on chemicals and pesticides, the loss of fertile agricultural land, and the pollution and waste that come when our food is shipped thousands of miles to reach us.

For a cost of $380 and a minimum of 5 hours of our time we will receive the following:

• Supporting local agriculture
• Keeping our farmland open and productive
• A working demonstration farm and education center
• Delicious organic produce, most of which is harvested and distributed the same day. We have at least 22 weeks of produce pick up. As you all know organic produce is a fortune so this will easily cover the cost.
• Forging a connection with the land where your food is grown, and the people who grow it.
• Newsletters with tips and timely recipes
• Leading and participating in workshops on cooking, canning, composting, etc.
• Good, old-fashioned fun: hayrides, planting and harvest days, seasonal celebrations

Our local CSA is called Earthome. I am sure CSA's are located throughout the country. Now is the time to find out and join. It is a solution that will be beneficial to all of us and get us more in touch with the land. If the drought occurs this summer, small local community farms have a much better chance of yielding crops. My wife and I feel much more secure knowing we have our garden and a local farm to work with this summer. We also feel the kids will have a great time this summer being around a farm.

Offered by David.