Our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) on East 6th Street is underway and going strong. Hepworth Farms in Milton, New York provides the summer share, weekly from June to November, which we pay for up front by buying a “share.” The Hepworth’s have been farming in Milton since 1818. Always progressive, they bring in fruits and vegetables to feed around 100 New Yorkers every Tuesday. Last week we got collard greens, broccoli, snap peas, lettuce, dill, plums, apricots, grapes, carrots, beets, and kohlrabi.

The CSA model is empowering for both the producers and the consumers, as they cut out the middleman, who so likes to package, process, truck and market products. It feel amazing to walk down the street with bushy carrot tops popping out of my bags, and to put my takings on the counter and rinse off the soil. Eating fresh strawberries, like the ones I got the week before, below, still warm from the sun, well nothing beats that.

I am currently collecting information on the CSA process for farmers, specifically in French. So if anyone has leads, let me know. I think this is one of the most important changes we as consumers will have to make in the future in order to maintain food security. Know your producer, keep it local!

To find a CSA near you, check out Local Harvest.