It’s not necessarily a budget strategy.
I believe a savvy cook can make a CSA cost-effective. Over time, learning to eat what’s in season is a good frugal strategy. For me, a novice, the CSA was a budget buster. (CSA’s start at around $16 per week and go up from there, depending on what size box you choose.) I often needed to supplement what I got from the CSA with produce I bought at the store. I had to keep in mind that the purpose of a CSA is to invest in a local farm. Farmer Neil faced a lot of challenges. The $900 I paid for the year was an investment in the big picture—a return to a local food economy.
Though I gave up my CSA membership for this year, I plan to buy from Farmer Neil at my local farmer’s market. And, once my daughter is school-age, I hope to re-join the TaylOrganic Farm. I want my daughter to learn the lessons I did about what it takes to grow food and why it’s important to eat food grown close to home.
