Do You Know the Way to CSA?

 
I love the concept of Community Supported Agriculture.  I mean, how can you not think that eating food produced near you is better overall than food produced half a world away?  Not only do you get to know the farmers who grow the food locally, but you also avoid wasting an exceptional amount of fuel and other resources to get food from other states, let alone other countries, to your plate.

Cleveland is emerging as a truly innovative place for the local food movement.  From the rezoning of vacant lots into community gardens to the passion of chefs like Doug Katz and Jonathan Sawyer (not to mention their predecessor Parker Bosley), our city really is making a positive impact in the local food movement.  Cleveland even has its own Local Food website.

Many years ago, Mrs. Epicure and I were part of a CSA in Wisconsin.  The challenge became, as has often been with CSAs, what to do with 20 lbs of carrots, six weeks of zucchini, or seemingly endless heads of cabbage.  You get what the farmer brings you, and sometimes you may not be in the mood for more cauliflower, but hey, it's already paid for.

But that traditional angle is changing and not only are farmers growing a wider variety of offerings, but innovate CSAs are offering different ways to provide great food, great local food, straight from the farmer to the consumer.

One such venture is City Fresh.  While members from past years can sign up now, new members have to wait until May 9th, per their website.  The cost is $12 a week for a small share (1 or 2 people) or $24 for a family share.  They deliver food to a variety of sites (including Mrs. Epicure's work and nine others in Cuyahoga County) and operate much like a traditional CSA.  Friends tell us that if you get the full share and split it with another couple it works out better than the smaller share since the full share includes a wider variety of options.  City Fresh also supports things like asphalt gardening, low cost food for the less fortunate, and training for market gardeners.

Another venture that is quite innovative is Fresh Fork Market.  Last year they provided services to restaurants only, but this year they are opening their services to individuals too.  They will have three price points on their new CSA offering, including one that allows the consumer to select half of the products.  In addition, they go beyond the traditional vegetables and fruits to also include meat, cheese, honey, eggs and other produce.  Furthermore, they have a great ala carte concept, where you can select just those items you want from their website (all local) and then pick them up at their Tremont location on Friday.  Their CSA options are more expensive than City Fresh, but considering the types of products they will be offering, this is understandable.

I am not sure which way Mrs. Epicure and I will CSA.  We'll probably get a share at City Fresh and then order from Fresh Fork ala carte, but that could change as we investigate further.  Whatever way we decide to go, we'll still wander to nearby farmers' markets too.  The West Side Market fruit and vegetable vendors, most of whom (other than Basketeria and DeCaro's) rely on shipped-from-afar food, will see less of us during the summer months.  Maybe they will eventually catch on that they need to offer more local produce too.

Comments

[kd]

"How can you not think that eating food produced near you is better overall than food produced half a world away?"

Here's how.

Depending on how far you have to travel to pick up food, and how you get there, buying local food might actually lead to greater transportation costs. It might be more efficient, in other words, to ship a lot of food in a truck to a supermarket down the block, rather than having a bunch of people drive smaller cars to a far-away farm to pick up their produce.