I Swear I’m Not Trying to be a Millennial Stereotype
As a typical millennial, I have wanted to participate in a crop share program with a local farm forever. I do my best and try to buy local produce at farmers markets and local organic shops, but as it turns out, hourly intern wages don’t allow for the Insta-worthy plant-based lifestyle that is all the rage. WHO KNEW? Ironically, my employer partners with Warner Farm, a local farm, to offer a summer-long crop share program with pickups right in the office parking lot!
Everyday I’m Brusselin’
The Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) that I participate in asks you to pay a lump sum upfront according to how large of a share of vegetables you would like to receive each week. The payment not only pays for the produce I receive but also helps the farmers focus on growing crops instead of worrying about keeping the lights on. I chose the small share which gives you enough veggies each week for about two people (or one very hungry plant based human) which was $335 for twenty weeks.
I used to buy a lot of my produce at Whole Foods because it was usually the freshest and the closest to picked ripe, but as we all know, Whole Foods is the mecca of expensive health food, even though I did find avocado on sale there last week (love you Amazon). Weekly shops at Whole Foods ended up totaling to around $45+ a week. Now a little more than half of my produce is supplied by the CSA and I buy the rest of my food for the week (fruit, grains, hummus, etc.) at the grocery store. This turned out to be around $17 a week for the CSA and $20 or less a week for the rest of my groceries, that’s savings y’all!
Kind of a Big Dill
Every Friday I receive an email from Warner Farms about the coming Tuesday’s share and what it will consist of and I organize my weekend grocery shop around what other items I’ll need. One unexpected benefit of the farm share is how many new veggies I’ve tried since it began. In early summer, the majority of my shares were foods I had never tried to prepare myself (let alone buy in a store) like rainbow chard, garlic scapes, beets, and turnips. The new flavors and textures added so much excitement to my daily salad or veggie roast. My favorite part was in mid-summer when delicious classics like sweet corn on the cob and crunchy green leaf lettuce were included in pretty much every share!
Turnip For What
As I’ve grown to know Warner Farm more and more I’ve learned about all of the work they’re doing promote biodiversity and sustainability on their farm. I’ve really enjoyed the peace of mind that comes from knowing the food on my plate has been grown in the proper season, just a few miles away, by people who care about their product. If you’re thinking about joining a farm share, I say go for it! Many farms offer small shares that are affordable and easy to manage AND you’ll be helping your community by keeping your hard earned money local!