Community Supported Agriculture: The BOLD Way to Buy Food

Image Courtesy of How Stuff Works

Although we’ve mentioned community supported agriculture (CSA) in previous posts, we haven’t actually talked about what CSAs really are or how they work. This post will give you some valuable information about these groups to help you determine if joining a CSA might be the right choice for you.

Becoming part of a community supported agriculture (CSA) group is one of the best investments you can make as part of your commitment to be BOLD. A CSA is formed when a group of people come together to pay a share of a farm’s expenses. In return, the farmer provides a box full of fruits, vegetables, and sometimes meat and dairy products to each individual every week. So, instead of paying for a certain number of pounds of fruits, vegetables, or beef, members of a CSA simply receive a weekly share of those crops that are in-season.

The farmer will either deliver these boxes directly to each group member’s home, or arrange a location at which each group member can pick-up his or her box. Most CSAs begin around April or May and last until September or October. Being supported by a CSA allows the farmer not to worry about profits, and instead focus on the quality of his or her crops and animals, as well as on excellent customer service.

CSAs began in Germany, Switzerland, and Japan in the early 1960s. People living in these countries were concerned about the increased development of land that had previously been used only for farming. They were worried that the increased development would cause the food they purchased in local supermarkets to be unsafe to eat. Groups of consumers and farmers came together to form partnerships in which the consumers would pay to fund local farms that were in danger of losing their land to development in exchange for a share of the farm’s crops each season. The idea of CSAs was brought to the North America in 1984 by Jan VanderTuin. 

So, there you have it. As a member of a CSA, you help support local farmers and improve the health of both you and your family with the continued purchase of delicious locally-grown, organic foods. For a list of Maryland farms that participate in CSAs, you can visit the Maryland Agriculture web site.

Local Farm Spotlight: Ferguson Family Farm

Image Courtesy of Ferguson Family Farm

Because finding organic meat products raised on local farms is likely the biggest challenge you will face in your quest to be BOLD, you will definitely want to check out Ferguson Family Farm. Owned and operated by Lynne Ferguson and her family, Ferguson Family Farm is located a short 30 minutes from Baltimore City in Parkton, Maryland.

Ferguson Family Farm is surrounded by the Pretty Boy Watershed and sells organic eggs, chicken, turkey, duck, Berkshire pork, and beef to local residents at area farmers’ markets. Lynne and her family are proud to offer these organic meat products raised free of growth hormones, antibiotics, and appetite stimulants.

Ferguson Family Farm is also part of a CSA. Through the farm’s CSA, a family can pay for a share of the farm’s products, and Lynne will deliver a certain amount of produce to the family every other week throughout the season. For more information about the farm, visit the Ferguson Family Farms web site, where you will find a brief history of the farm, current prices for meat products, cooking tips, and more.

Local Harvest: Your One-Stop-Shop for Locally-Grown, Organic Goods!

Image Courtesy of Local Harvest

Not sure where to begin when looking for the yummiest locally-grown, organic food in town? Check out Local Harvest. This web site provides information on farms, restaurants, grocery stores, and other food producers throughout the country that are committed to growing and selling organic food. Just type in your zip code to find the listings closest to you!

Local Harvest also features information about Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), a simple way for people to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer. We’ll talk more about CSAs in another post, but feel free to check out the Local Harvest web site in the meantime for more information or to sign-up for a CSA.

The Official "Organic"

Image Courtesy of the
Maryland Department of Agriculture

"Organic" has become somewhat of a buzz word today. A lot of people use the term, but very few know what it means. Although we briefly talked about what it means to be organic in a previous post, we thought all of our readers could benefit from a little more information.

So, what exactly is "organic"? The word often means a lot of things to a lot of people, but a quick trip to the Maryland Department of Agriculture web site provides us with a nice, official description of the word.

"Organic" is actually a legal term. Its standards are defined and governed by the United States Department of Agriculture. Organic food is produced by farmers who use of renewable resources and conserve soil and water to enhance the quality of the environment for future generations. 

Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic fruits and vegetables are produced without the use of conventional pesticides, man-made fertilizers or sewage sludge, bioengineering (including the GMOs we mentioned in a previous post), or ionizing radiation.

Before a product can be labeled "organic," a Government-approved certifier must inspect the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all of the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it arrives in your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified too. Organic certification is not a guarantee of quality or purity of the product. It is evidence of the farmer, producer, or manufacturer's adherence to an established system of agriculture and food production.

The Maryland Organic Certification Program is designed to provide assurance to consumers who purchase organic products that those products were grown according to the national organic standards. The Maryland Department of Agriculture is accredited by the USDA for compliance with the National Organic Program.