About my CSA- Helsing Junction Farm

Helsing Junction Farm
We really love the idea of Community Supported Agriculture. What this means is that we invest in our farm each year and then get a share of what our farms produces. It is organic fruit, flowers and vegetables that fill the brown box each week. Most food is from field to table in ONE day. That is amazing. The food is fairly humming with life energy. The beauty of it is always a welcome sight and the flavor...well nothing compares to it. You just cannot, in my opinion, buy supermarket produce that is as good as this. Those organic items trucked up from California or Chile, while an option during much of the year, lose something (flavor, nutrients?) during the ride.
Our farm owners are women, Sue and Annie, and they have several dedicated long term employees who work with them throughout the season.
The cost of a full share, enough for 3-4 people, is $600.00 for about 16 weeks of deliveries. We split a share with friends and we pay early so we get ours for $540.00 for the season. So it averages about 17.00 per family per week or $34.00 total.
I feel really blessed because we get berries, fruits, and flowers included with our share. Not all farms offer those items.

This weeks box contained

1 bunch spinach
2- 1/2 pint boxes raspberries
2 heads lettuce
1 bunch Swiss Chard
1 bunch carrots
1 bunch basil
1# snow peas
2# shelling peas
1 bunch fennel
1 bunch lavender
# of baby zucchini
At the supermarket, this week, these items were:

1 bunch spinach----------------------2.98
2- 1/2 pint boxes raspberries--------6.00
2 heads lettuce----------------------5.96
1 bunch Swiss Chard------------------2.89
1 bunch carrots----------------------2.59
1 bunch basil------------------------2.89
1# snow peas-------------------------4.98
2# shelling peas---------------------9.96
1 bunch fennel-----------------------4.50
1 bunch lavender---------------------6.98
# of baby zucchini-------------------4.98
For a total of 54.71

Of course, at the beginning of the season the boxes are a little smaller but the farmers really strive to provide a value of about 10% over what was paid for the share. I think it usually works out to more than that.
Just at this level, it is a good value. But think of it in terms of the health of the planet. It is even more valuable! It keeps us healthy. Even more value! It supports small family farms. It saves farmland from development. What global warming?




Here is a picture of part of the land the farmers are leasing while some fields are lying fallow. I took it last year when the farm hosted an open house.