Another great way to save on produce is to join your local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). CSA is a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal produce directly from the farmers that grew it. The CSA is a share of the products offered to the public. Each share normally includes a box of veggies but they also might include fruits, eggs, and more.
Here are the advantages for the consumer directly from the Local Harvest website:
- Eat ultra-fresh food, with all the flavor and vitamin benefits
- Get exposed to new vegetables and new ways of cooking
- Usually get to visit the farm at least once a season
- Find that kids typically favor food from “their” farm – even veggies they’ve never been known to eat
- Develop a relationship with the farmer who grows their food and learn more about how food is grown
To find out if CSA is offered in your area and how much it would cost to participate, go here and enter your zip code.
If you participate in CSA, I’d love to hear your experiences!
If you are new to Couponing, you might want to take a moment to read more in my Getting Started Couponing series. It will teach you how to coupon like I do!
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We participate and get wonderful fresh veggies made with largely organic methods, and also free range eggs, all for a great price. I highly recommend it. We also end up trying veggies (for example, a new kind of eggplant variety or heirloom tomato) that we might not otherwise have tried.
I joined a local CSA this year. Like you said, you get to try vegs you probably wouldn’t normally buy. Tonight I made lasagna with zuchini instead of noodles. it was good.
Yum!!! It is so good! :)
I love my CSA. This is the second year I’m doing it, and though a bit overwhelmed by lettuce at the moment, I love the fact that each week I’m presented with a surprise of new things to cook. It can however be challenging if you don’t have the time to find and cook new recipes and depending on the number of people and how big your share is it can take some planning to eat everything before it goes bad.
This is our 2nd year joining the CSA in our community, and we LOVE it! The farmer is so nice, and he is there at every pickup. My children enjoy talking to him, and they wander all over the farm. They have fun picking the items that are u-pick, and it exposes them to a whole new series of experiences, since we live in the city! The produce is great, and it helps me plan my menu for the week based on what we pick up! We also like that the farm uses all organic methods, and we know exactly who grows it, how they grow it, and it’s a really great value. We receive 1-2 cloth shopping bags of veggies and herbs for 20 weeks or so! There is always a bit extra to share with friends.
I checked – the closest CSA is 75 miles away. Bummer!