Ten Reasons to Subscribe to a CSA

Along with my goal of being healthy this year, I am eating a lot more fresh (not frozen or canned) fruits and vegetables. And I was VERY excited to learn that our area now has a CSA. What is a CSA, you ask? Community Supported Agriculture. A local farm or farms who sell "subscriptions" to local residents for their locally grown produce. Consumers buy in for a season and receive freshly harvested crops weekly during the season.

Our local CSA is run by J&W Produce in Aynor, SC. If you are a Myrtle Beach or Horry County resident, I highly recommend that you consider buying a subscription for the spring/early summer season. A few weeks ago, I spoke with one of the owners on the phone and learned a lot about their farm and their plans for the coming year. They'll be planting soon and need to know how many subscribers they will have, so hurry up and get yours!

Here are ten reason why you should subscribe to a Community Supported Agriculture program.


1. You are buying locally grown produce. Local means it hasn't had to travel very far to you, and it's as fresh as it can without picking it yourself!

2. Locally grown also means that you are supporting a business in your community rather than some far away mega-production farm.

3. You get a variety of produce, including ones you might never have heard of before. Variety is good!

4. The variety can be challenging because you may not know what to do with it. Time to learn something new!

5. If you don't know anything about growing food, you can visit the farm. You can play in the dirt. You can talk with the farmers. Knowing WHERE your food comes from is a good thing!

6. You are assuming some risk because you pay up front for the season. But for the farmer, receiving payment up front allows him/her to be more productive.

7. You are voting with your money. Recently, author Michael Pollan was on Oprah talking about the "real food" movement. He commented that we get three votes a day about how our food is grown and produced. When you buy locally grown and locally produced real food (as opposed to food that is manufactured), you are telling companies AND farmers what is important to you.

8. Did I mention that the produce is FRESH? It's harvested when it's ready for eating, not before.

9. In addition to being able to visit the farm to see your food being grown, some CSA farmers host other events so that you can see the farm and get to know them. The owner of J&W Produce mentioned possibly hosting a BBQ for all the subscribers this spring/summer and a pumpkin patch in the fall. Outdoor fun for the whole family!

10. Eating more fruits and vegetables is good for you and your family. As a mom, that's important to me.


Can you tell that I'm excited about having a local CSA? Check with localharvest.org to find a CSA in your area. And if you're in the Myrtle Beach/Horry County area, give J&W Produce a call.

Disclaimer: I was not asked to write about our local CSA and I have not received any compensation for this post.

For more Top Ten lists, visit ohamanda.com. (She posted about LOST today!!!!!!) (Something else I'm very excited about!!!)