Maillol_nuit_small
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I want to join a CSA. Has anyone had a good experience with one?

Yes, I am a hippie.

I want to join a CSA, you know, Community Supported Agriculture, where you get a box of weird fruit & vegetables every week, and then have to figure out how to cook things like rutabaga and kale, all the while saying greener-than-thou things to my friends like "It just makes me feel sooo close to the land!"

I'm assuming I'd be signing up for next growing season/next year. So, has anyone had a good or bad experience with a CSA here in Seattle?

slackerina asked in Food & Drink over 2 years ago | Report

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  • N685766755_8231_small
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    Carrie Bancroft

    http://Terra-Organics.com is the CSA box service we use. Hands down, the best produce in the Pierce / King County Area because they get produce from all the local farmers in the region to put together their CSA boxes. They also have their own farm (Tahoma Farms: http://tahomafarms.blogspot.com/) that provides the option of only getting produce from their CSA. AND! they deliver the box to your door -- for free. No one else does that around here.

    The term CSA is a bit confusing, actually, because there's no industry standard about its definition. It means "Community Supported Agriculture" and traditionally it has meant that you buy a "share" in the farm by paying an up-front cost for a weekly box of seasonal produce. You also share the risk with the farmer because you're not guaranteed a certain amount of produce (or type) each week. This is changing, however, and a lot of farmers are now acting as distributors for others' crops, allowing for more variety in CSA boxes; in some cases, they are also allowing for per-box pricing (rather than buying a share).

    What makes Terra interesting is that they have per-box pricing, with the ability to change vegetable / fruit orders according to the customer's desire. And the produce is incredible, and incredibly fresh -- I find that organic produce from Whole Foods lasts 1-3 days in my fridge, whereas Terra produce lasts up to 2 weeks.

    The other CSA's that I can vouch for: Full Circle is the biggest, Root Connection is another local one (great produce, they actually also supply some of Terra's produce), Jubilee Farm. My husband and I have done Full Circle (and canceled as the produce was in very disappointing shape 2-3 deliveries in a row), but they also do per-box, specialty order pricing. We also did a work-trade at Jubilee (in Carnation) which was incredibly fun, and they only do share pricing. I've never used Root Connection, but my sister has and said their produce was very nice -- again, they only do share pricing.

    Carrie Bancroft answered in Food & Drink over 2 years ago | Report
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  • Img_3380_small
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    I use Full Circle, which I really like since you don't have to pay in advance and you can customize everything that you get. I get a small box every other week for $30 and feed two of us with it. So far I've been completely happy with it. I have heard that it can be a little tricky in the winter since they start outsourcing a lot of their produce... but I guess I'll see when that time comes. They've been wonderful all summer.

    RM answered in Food & Drink over 2 years ago | Report
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  • Goonies_small
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    I highly recommend Helsing Farms. The produce is high-quality and there is a lot of variety each week. I get a small box (it comes out to about $23 a week) and it's a challenge to get through it all.

    You do have to pre-pay, but you can pay by the month.

    I should add that they only run June through September.

    so-so answered in Food & Drink over 2 years ago | Report
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    Most organic farmers do CSAs these days. Olympia has half a dozen! Go to a farmer's market and find a farmer with a variety of really nice-looking produce, then ask if they do a CSA. If not, move on to the next one.

    Yes, we get some weird stuff every once in awhile (radishes! *shudder*), but 95% of the time it's fantastic and incredibly fresh. Kale isn't weird at all! Cut it up, steam it for 6 minutes, mix in some butter or balsamic vinegar or grate some parmesan on it: YUM. Use it in chili or stew (cut up, of course). I have kale all the time. It just makes me feel soooo close to the land!

    Just Asking answered in Food & Drink over 2 years ago | Report
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    i also use full circle, and i absolutely love it. they've changed it so that every item can be substituted or doubled, it used to only be 5 substitutions. i get a small box every other week for $30, and it usually always lasts me the 2 weeks. just use the less hardy stuff first and have an idea for some menus and it'll last you. i will say though, that the variety starts lacking around winter and the produce gets really really repetitive. so many yams. sssooooooo mmaaannnyyyy.

    stainer answered in Food & Drink over 2 years ago | Report
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  • Ozomahtli_small
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    We're doing that right now, and it's great. We definitely eat in more now knowing that we've got a bunch of produce slowly rotting in the fridge. They do give us some weird stuff sometimes, like the aforementioned kale, but it turns out just about everything is good in a stir-fry.

    One thing is it's a shit-ton of food, easily enough for a family of four. If that's not you, then you'd be better off splitting it with someone else.

    Mahtli69 answered in Food & Drink over 2 years ago | Report
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  • N40900540_2158_small
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    highly recommend Full Circle Farms

    Kate Schultz answered in Food & Drink over 2 years ago | Report
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