Secretly we all want to live in the middle of nowhere, grow our own food, and have a successful blog like this pioneer. Amirite? Just me? Well perhaps you have little interest in life on the open plains. Or perhaps like myself, you live nowhere near a plain, open or otherwise, and just want to live a Quiet Revolutionary life by choosing good food that is as local, fresh, and as sustainable as possible.

I’ve been slowly inching closer to the source of my food for some time, but I finally decided to take the plunge and get it straight from the farm through community-supported agriculture.

What is Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA)?

In a nutshell, community-supported agriculture is an alternative food distribution model in which individuals pledge to support one or more local farms. Members to a CSA network will pay at the beginning of the growing season for a share of the harvest. Depending on what type of share has been purchased, shareholders can receive a weekly supply of vegetables, fruit, herbs, eggs, dairy, meat, etc…

Why is Community-Supported Agriculture so great?

• Aside from providing you with great quality produce that is fresh, local and sustainable, CSA’s are beneficial for the farmer the communities they serve.
• It allows members to become closer not only to the source of their food, but to the individuals that grow it.
• Having a CSA share can also allow you to expand your culinary horizons and use produce that you may otherwise not have known about or ever cooked.

How can I find local CSA’s?

There are a few good databases that can be searched by city or zip that you can find here. I find that a better way to go about it (since many CSAs aren’t listed in the database) is just to do a search for CSAs in your city. Most CSAs have a weekly pickup at a specific location, like a school, church, or library. However, there are some that offer weekly delivery to your home or office as well depending on where you live.

What can I do if I am not ready to take the plunge but still want my food to be sustainable and local?

Not everyone is ready for the farm share, I’ll be the first to admit that it took me a LONG time to get on board. However, there are of course other great options for finding local foodstuffs. Check out your local farmers market or food co-ops which are worker or customer owned and offer locally grown, sustainable, and quality food.

When you find a CSA or food co-op, or if you know of one put it on our map!

Freelancers, where do you go to get locally grown food?