Summertime equals cheap produce.
Produce is in season and there is an abundance of it.
And luckily there are many different ways to get your hands on cheap produce. Over the next week we will be discussing Kansas City Farmers Markets and Planting Your Own Garden.
But, today we are going to talk about CSA – Community Supported Agriculture.
I’ve written about my love of Kansas City CSA Programs before and I’ve belonged to one for the last three years.
In essence, you buy a “share” of the what the local farmer will grow during a season. Typically, seasons last from mid-May till the beginning of October.
And nine-times-out-of-ten the produce will be organic. While it isn’t “certified organic” because of the expensive certification process, most CSA farmers are eco-conscious and grow without chemicals.
The concept of a CSA is pretty easy to understand, what perplexes most people is the execution.
Questions like, “Do I have to work on the farm? Isn’t this just for hippies? Where do I go to pick up my produce? What kind of produce will they give me? What if I don’t like Kale?” can come to mind.
Each CSA will have their own guidelines. Some allow you to work on the farm, some don’t. Some let you pick and choose your produce, some don’t. Some deliver to your house, some don’t.
And knowing these answers is important. You need a CSA that will work for your family. It should be a joy, not a burden.
So before you choose a CSA, check out localharvest.org. It will provide you with all of the local CSAs in your area and their contact information. It also helps you get an idea of the costs and the produce you will be receiving, as well as if you are able to come out to the farm and help with the harvest.
You can also read about my past experiences with the Hen House CSA (I’ve been a member for several years and I will be again this year) in my posts from Good Eats.
Because of our hectic lifestyle, the Hen House CSA Program works best for our family. In the future, we may choose a different CSA, but for this season, this one works the best.
Here’s why:
- Pick up is on either a Saturday or Wednesday at your local Hen House store. You can also change your pick up day if you let the coordinator know in advance.
- You can trade items. Don’t like Kale? No problem. Trade your Kale for another item because everything has a point value and can be mixed and matched.
- It’s only $10 to join the “organization” and after that, it’s $25 per week and that includes meat, dairy, produce and bread. And while it is a bit of splurge for our budget, I have NEVER been disappointed with my items.
- You support local farmers that may be too small to do their own CSA but have amazing quality produce.
And if you have Netflix, the movie “Fresh” features Good Natured Family Farms and their relationship with the Ball Family (owners of Hen House). Good Natured Family Farms is one of the major suppliers to the CSA every week.
Over the next week, I’ll also give you a guide to Kansas City Farmer’s Markets and Growing Your Own Garden.
Disclosure: Kansas City Mamas received a free membership to the Hen House CSA. However, the written remarks are entirely my own since I was a paying CSA member prior. Want more information – check out my full disclosure statement.
Are any of you current or former CSA members? Share your experience in the comments or on the Kansas City Mamas Facebook Page.
We are seriously considering doing the Hen House CSA thanks to this post but my hubby has a question. Do they give you a heads up about what will be in the pickup? We’re trying to get better about planning our meals but a little flexibility is a good thing!
Margaret – Great Question! The answer is yes, you do. They have a list of next week’s goodies when you pick up current week’s goodies and it also available on their website. Hope that helps. You’ll love their CSA.
This will be my 3rd year joining a CSA. I’ve joined “New Roots for Refugees” (it’s through Catholic Charities). I am assigned a farmer. I am with the same farmer as last year and her produce was fabulous last year.
The New Roots programs train refugees on farming and selling their own produce. I pay my fees and will pick up my produce every saturday. I do not get to pick what I get as some do, but there is generally a variety. It has gotton me to try different things (like Swiss chard- and I was pleasantly surprised that I like it). They have had opportunities for members to go out to the farm for open house days and volunteer days, but that is optional.
Not only am I getting quality local produce (mostly organic although I’m not sure it’s certified organic), but I feel like it is helping someone learn a trade.
If you can’t commit to join for the season, they sell regularly at many of the local farmers markets. I know they are at Merriam, OP, I think Brookeside and other locations if I remember right.
Ann – you are exactly right. Next week we’ll talk about the Farmer’s Markets and how you can still support the local farms. 🙂
I can speak from both the grower and eater sides of CSA’s. My husband and I are participating for the fourth year with Parker Farms Natural meats. They offer a variety of cuts from beef, pork, chicken & lamb on a year round basis with several pickup sites around the metro. Such a great product from great people!
I also help manage my in-laws CSA, Crum’s Heirlooms out of Bonner Springs. (info on the local harvest site). From this perspective I can tell you how much you are appreciated for your choices to support locally grown food!
Now is a great time to research CSA’s available to you and sample some of their produce. Many CSA’s have deadlines for signup prior to the start of the season for planning purposes so the best time to signup is really Jan-Mar.
Thanks for highlighting these great food options!
Claire – Thanks for the information about the deadlines. Hopefully, there are still some openings available for our local readers.
Hey Kelly. I am wondering if there is an advantage to picking up the henhouse csa at a more popular store so that if you’re wanting to substitute there would be more options. I signed up to pick mine up at the village market because it’s the least mileage for me to get to but it’s a very small/few shoppers store. What do you think?
Margaret – the good news is that you don’t have to trade with other shoppers, you get to trade with the store. So let’s say you get 10 points that week, bread is 2, meat is 3, veggies are 1, fruit is 2, and canned jam is 2. If you don’t want the canned jam, you can get another bread or fruit or two veggies. Does that make sense?
Does Hen House not do this anymore?? I can’t seem to find the CSA on their website! 🙁