Finding the perfect community supported agriculture (CSA) farm share can resemble signing up for a dating app.
Case in point, a perusal through Eat Local First’s CSA page on its website shows various filters for finding a match that best fits your needs. For example, if you clicked the boxes for “vegetables,” “spring” and “is currently accepting signups” under the 98225 zip code, you’d find a number of farms where you can pay to get boxes of fresh produce delivered to your home or to a neighborhood drop point.
Under those particular filters, the choices include Bright Thread Farm, Cedarville Farm, Flynn Farms, Rabbit Fields Farm, Spring Time Farm, Ten Fold Farm, Tangled Thicket Farm, Terra Verde Farm and Viva Farms. At Ten Fold Farm, Cedarville Farm and Fair Cow’s Path Farm, meat options are also part of the package.
And much like those searching for a human match can specify how deep of a commitment they’re looking for on dating sites, those seeking a CSA can also specify how often they want to receive a box that could include everything from vegetables to fruit, meat, cheese, eggs, fresh pasta, local honey, flowers and more. At some farms, choices also include small, medium and large shares, but it’s not clear how that would translate on match.com
If all these choices seem overwhelming, step back for a second to consider that whatever CSA you choose, you’ll be helping local farmers continue to grow. By purchasing a subscription to a local farm in advance of the season — typically from January through April — customers funnel much-needed “seed money” to the food producers. In return, the farmers provide a weekly share of their harvest.
Other CSA points to consider include sussing out the amount of food needed for yourself or your household; if there’s a pick-up location that makes sense for you; and figuring out if the farm you’re interested in customizes their orders so you don’t end up with a whole lot of produce you’re not familiar with.
That said, CSAs make it possible to sample a more varied amount of fruit and vegetables than what you’d pick up during a regular grocery store run, so expanding your palate isn’t necessarily a bad thing. And if those farm-fresh veggies aren’t as camera-ready as what you’d purchase at Costco, don’t worry, they’ll still be fresh, delicious and healthy.
And if you find that the turnips, radicchio, garlic scapes, fennel or Brussels sprouts you get in your farm share aren’t your thing, you’ll know what to avoid in the future. Take that knowledge, then apply it to your next OKCupid date by filtering out the losers.
To find a CSA match in Whatcom or Skagit counties, go to eatlocalfirst.org/CSA.
