CSA Season Approaches
It's that time of year again! The local farms with CSA programs are starting to open up for registration.
For those who don't know, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and refers a program where consumers pre-purchase shares in local farms for the upcoming season. The inherent risks associated with farming is therefore shared among the consumers rather than just the farm. The amount and variety of vegetables you receive is dependent on weather events, and changes as the season progresses. Below is a photo of one of our weekly pickups from a previous year.
This will be our fourth year as CSA members. We have not registered for a program yet this year, but for the past three we have been with Eagle Creek Farms. Last year they also started offering a fruit share option, which was a really nice addition.
Although some of the leafy greens and certain types of vegetables do come pre-wrapped in plastic bags, most of the vegetables in past years have been un-wrapped, or there are unwrapped options. Although not as waste-free as I would like, I made a decision a few years ago to prioritize the benefits of the CSA system over purely avoiding plastic. However, when given the option between a wrapped item (a bag of small cucumbers) and an un-wrapped one (one large cucumber), I will always choose the un-wrapped option. I avoid the bags as much as possible and recycle the ones that I do bring home.
There are a few different options for CSA programs in the Calgary area. The CSA Alberta website has a list of options if you are interested.
Are you in a CSA program? Leave a comment!
For those who don't know, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and refers a program where consumers pre-purchase shares in local farms for the upcoming season. The inherent risks associated with farming is therefore shared among the consumers rather than just the farm. The amount and variety of vegetables you receive is dependent on weather events, and changes as the season progresses. Below is a photo of one of our weekly pickups from a previous year.
This will be our fourth year as CSA members. We have not registered for a program yet this year, but for the past three we have been with Eagle Creek Farms. Last year they also started offering a fruit share option, which was a really nice addition.
Although some of the leafy greens and certain types of vegetables do come pre-wrapped in plastic bags, most of the vegetables in past years have been un-wrapped, or there are unwrapped options. Although not as waste-free as I would like, I made a decision a few years ago to prioritize the benefits of the CSA system over purely avoiding plastic. However, when given the option between a wrapped item (a bag of small cucumbers) and an un-wrapped one (one large cucumber), I will always choose the un-wrapped option. I avoid the bags as much as possible and recycle the ones that I do bring home.
There are a few different options for CSA programs in the Calgary area. The CSA Alberta website has a list of options if you are interested.
Are you in a CSA program? Leave a comment!
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