Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

Subscribing for a CSA share is a way to buy your veggies directly from the farmer. Most CSAs have a pick-up location where you can pick up your box of produce weekly. You sign up for a season and whatever is ripe and ready, arrives in your box on a set day of the week. You never know exactly what will show up. There is an element of surprise each time you open the box. Sometimes you get to try out something you've never had before.

Some things we like about CSAs are that they support local farmers; we get the freshest seasonal and local food; and less fuel is needed to transport the food since it goes directly from the local farm to a nearby pick-up site to our kitchens. It's good for us, the farmers and the environment.

The Sustainability Committee has been working with Bon Appétit and Full Circle Farm to set up a pick-up location for such a CSA on the SMU campus. Imagine being able to pick up a fresh box of organic, seasonal veggies while you're at school!

There are many CSA options in the area and you might pick one based on price, pick-up location, seasonal options, frequency of delivery, etc. Take a look here to see what farms are offering CSA shares near your home.

A few of us who live on Olympia's east side have been pretty happy with Rising River Farm's shares.