The Great Utah CSA Experiment!

In conjunction with my 2008 project to read a lot of books (more on that in another post), I was recommended a copy of Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by a close associate of mine. I happened upon it at my local library and took it with me on a trip to Indiana with my husband. He gave me funny looks as I read it on the plane: probably because I kept giggling as I read it. Ms. Kingsolver is a fantastic author, and her humor and wit are greatly appreciated in this nonfiction piece that could have been very dry when done by another author. (As an aside, I’ve decided from this year’s bookreading experiment that the best nonfiction books are written by authors who are good novelists and playwrights first, and nonfiction commentators second.)

The book itself is two things in one: first, a documentary of her family’s decision to eat only locally grown food for a whole year, and second, an interesting peek at the practices of ‘big agriculture’. Yes: there is a soapbox, but it does give some pause for thought, and the book is full of references as well. The most intriguing idea I pulled away from it was the idea to go out of my way to eat locally grown produce. Now, I’ve enjoyed parsing the farmer’s market while at grad school and a little beyond, so I’m no stranger to the ‘local food’ scene, but I’ve never taken to it before as a weekly obligation, a nontrivial pursuit, or a long term project.

There is good reason to go out of my way to eat locally grown food, including the fact that I can have confidence it wasn’t grown with a blanket of pesticides which contribute to toxic runoff. But there are other points too: farmers are farmers first, not marketers or salespeople. Additionally, depending on the weather, the produce, the holidays, and the alignment of the stars, relying on farmer’s markets isn’t exactly a guaranteed income for all farmers. The best solution for those interested in eating locally grown organically grown agriculture, in season, and who are also interested in supporting their local neighbor farmers, is to join a farmer’s Community Supported Agriculture group, or CSA.

This isn’t a community garden where each contributor gets a plot of land to work in a city. Rather, each contributor pays a lump sum at the beginning of the season for a ‘share’ in the farmer’s crop. Then, once a week for a growing period of 15-25 weeks (depending on where you live) the farmer will deliver shares to nearby drop-off locations. Generally, the produce is picked same day or night before for best quality. The ability to deliver it so quickly and without need for cross country travel means the farmer can also grow varieties based on taste instead of just ‘how well does this tomato transport across the country and can it survive for two weeks before spoiling’. More plant varieties known for taste (they’re called Heirloom varieties) can help keep our food sources biodiverse.

There is something very appealing to me about buying food in season, organically grown, locally grown, from a farmer who I know by name. In the process I’m supporting local business: and every dollar I spend locally (or on a local business) has 2-4 times more benefit than a dollar spent on a large chain store like Smith’s.

So. A very long preamble to the point, which is that I’ve researched locally available CSA options here in Utah and signed up for two! For the curious, you can find a list of CSAs available in Utah from Utah's own Slow Food site. There are more CSAs available in Utah than you might believe! (As an aside, doesn't the Slow Food USA flyer just make you feel patriotic about eating?)

Now, because I am a scientist at heart, and because I’ve never done this before, it is my goal to treat this endeavor as an experimental one. For this purpose, although I only needed one small share for my husband and I, I signed up for two separate small shares from two different CSA organizations, at an approximate cost of $13 per week for each. In addition, I will report faithfully on what I receive each week from both farms: as well as what I did with it! (Let’s face it: you’re all a little concerned - what WOULD you do with 3 lbs of summer squash?)

Just be aware that if I have contact with you in ‘real life’ I just might volunteer to give you some of that summer squash: I can already tell you with confidence that I will be getting twice as much produce as the farmers estimate I’ll need, and even that might be exaggerating. =)