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    Is Community Supported Agriculture, a CSA, for me?

    If you enjoy eating local produce, but don’t necessarily like the hustle and bustle at Farmer’s Markets, you may consider signing up for a CSA. A CSA is a program many local farms throughout Ohio offer to the community. Essentially you are buying a share in the farm and providing the farmers with money to get their crops going, or their animals bred. You pick up your share at designated pick up locations, or you may have the option to have your share delivered to your home.

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    When you sign up for a CSA, you are signing into the risks that all small farmers face -bad weather or insect damage, as well as the rewards -plentiful harvests and bumper crops. You may even have the option of helping out with the farm work.

    There are many CSAs that service the Columbus area. Most are vegetable shares, some offer flowers, meats, eggs, and fruit. Some even offer delivery of coffee beans, Snowville milk products, soaps, syrups, and jams.

    I’ve highlighted a few below. A few of these farms also participate in local Farmer’s Markets.

    New Century CSA – run by the Cook family in Circleville, Ohio. Tim and his wife Christy have been running their farm with a CSA program for eight years. In that time, they have grown from 50 subscribers to over 700. Harvest begins in late spring (5/22/12) and will end no later than Labor Day, for 15 weeks of deliveries. New Century offers a very customizable program. A small package (2 people) is offered for $337.50. Medium (3 people) for $487.50 and large (4 people) for $630. Payment in full at signup earns you bonus credits to use. New for 2012 is a Canning Share offered for $300. New Century also partners with Rhoads Farm for fruit crops. Home Deliveries will be charged up to a $3.50 fuel charge per delivery.

    Paige’s Produce – a local family farm located near Stoutsville, Ohio. They have been farming their 15 acres since 1999. Full shares of vegetables from Paige’s Produce include 5-9 items per week and run from May through September. They also offer Fruit Shares (sold out, only accepting shares for apples only) and Flower Shares. Full Vegetable Shares run $485 and Full Flower Shares are $170. They also offer half shares. Their pick-up locations are the Pearl Alley Farmer’s Market, Clintonville Farmer’s Market, Upper Arlington and Granville.

    Rock Dove Farm – a family farm in West Jefferson, Ohio started by Todd and Heather Schriver in 2010. Many of the products they offer are heirloom varieties. They offer pickup locations near almost every neighborhood in the greater Columbus area. Full shares are offered for $525, half shares for $325. You can also get a double share for $925 which is ideal for sharing with friends. Each week, the full share will contain anywhere from 6-8 items. Their season runs from May 28-November 17.

    Spring Haven Farm – a local farm out of Frankfort, Ohio. They offer quite a few options. Eggs ($3 per dozen), Fruit ($5-7 per share), Vegetables (Mixed – 12 boxes for $250, more options available), Cut Flowers (25 bouquets for $162.50), and new for 2012, Chicken (2 whole chickens for $25 or 2 packs of chicken breasts for $4.50 a pound). Free pickup is available at the Bexley, Ohio, Chillicothe, Ohio, or Dublin, Ohio Farmers Markets. Order here.

    Terravita Farms – a small farm in Newark, Ohio, Terravita Farms grow all non-genetically engineered varieties. They grow their products naturally with no chemical fertilizers, instead using compost and composted manure from their livestock to fertilize their plants. Their vegetable CSAs are: Full share offered for $550 and a Half share offered for $290. In the spring, they will supplement with non-produce items (eggs, honey, flowers, herbs) until the crops come in. They also sell yarn, meats, and beeswax when it is available.

    Wayward Seed Farm – a certified organic farm located in Marysville, Ohio. Wayward Seed Farm was founded in 2006 in Sandusky County to service restaurants. They have since grown to their current location, serving restaurants and the community through participation in farmer’s markets and with their CSA program. Wayward Seed Farm offers a Full Share for $900. Deadline to sign up is March 1, but they will continue selling until sold out. You also have the option of adding coffee beans from Café Brioso for $6 per week and Snowville Creamery products for an additional weekly price (not set yet for 2012).

    In your share, you will receive 9-11 items including 2-3 fruits. “Not only are we the only farm to offer several fruits each week in its CSA share, but you’ll also see fruits you won’t find anywhere in Central Ohio. We work cooperatively with Eshleman Fruit Farm and Polter’s Berry Farm in Northwest Ohio. We’ll bring you a wide variety of berries, cherries, apricots, pears, plums, grapes and apples over the course of the season.” The share is weekly, lasts 25 weeks, begins June 22 and lasts through December.

    Although not technically a CSA, The Greener Grocer at the North Market offers Weekly Fresh Market Bags for the Winter and Summer seasons. The bags are $20/week for a medium size of 5-6 varieties (1-2 people) and $30 week for a large size of 8-10 varieties (3-4 people). The bags include weekly produce as it is available and will occasionally feature locally milled flour, artisan cheeses and other treats. Part of the proceeds are used to support their Veggie Van, their mobile food market that supplies underserved neighborhoods with fresh produce in the summer months. The Winter WFMB lasts until May 8, 2012. They are 26 week programs.

    There are more CSAs available. Edible Columbus lists some more here. You can also find more at LocalHarvest.org and OurOhio.org.

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    Anne Evans
    Anne Evanshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-evans/
    Anne Evans is the Co-Founder and Director of Operations for The Metropreneur and Columbus Underground. She regularly contributes feature stories on both sites, as well as Mega Weekend each week. She has started and grown businesses, created experiences, forged community partnerships, and worked to create opportunities for others. She loves meeting new neighbors and those making an impact in our community. Want to connect?
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