Warm weather makes us think about the spring harvest and that, my friends, makes us think about signing up for a CSA. Over the last couple years, Community Supported Agriculture programs have really taken root (har har) around here.
A CSA is essentially an investment in the local farming community. You pay the farmer in advance, and when the harvest comes in, you’ll receive a bountiful box of produce each week. But as with all investments, there are risks. If all goes well, you’ll be rolling in the tomatoes, but should the crops get damaged by a late frost? Well, you’ll end up feeling a bit of the farmer’s pain and will have less to show for your money. The spring season brings asparagus, radishes, broccoli, onions, turnips, collards, and strawberries along with peanuts, mixed greens, and beets.
Last spring and fall, we bought into the Pinckney’s Produce CSA and wholeheartedly recommend this farm’s program. They’re highly organized (with cute green bins), very receptive to suggestions, and work with other farms in their area to provide interesting alternatives (like kiwis grown in South Carolina!). At their drop sites, they’ve set up swap boxes for subscribers to trade items. Hate yellow squash? Put it in the box and help yourself to whatever else is in there. They are currently accepting subscribers for their spring (April 19-July 15) season and prices range from $234 for a small share to $559 for an extra large one.
If you’d like a little bit of local color with your CSA, then by all means, sign up for Rosebank Farms CSA. What you’ll get in return for your investment is a weekly newsletter written by Louise Bennett, who shares charming stories and delicious recipes. Rosebank has a spring, summer, and fall season, each running 12 weeks. You can subscribe for an entire year, or sign up for spring (first week of April through mid-June). Seasonal shares range from $200 to $400. Rosebank also has an egg share (unfortunatley, it’s full), a flower share ($64 for spring), and a Giddy Goat Cheese share ($50-$100).
Thackeray Farms on Wadmalaw Island has a similar time frame and price structure as Rosebanks. Kenneth “Skinny” Melton writes a regular blog during the harvest, and you can follow him on Twitter and Facebook too.
Legare Farms does things a little bit differently. Their CSA share is for 15 weeks: nine weeks in spring and summer and six weeks in the fall, with a mid-summer break when the heat and sun do nothing but burn up the crops. Prices range from $355 for a full share and $245 for a half share. At its five drop sites, Legare farmers are on hand to answer questions and get to know you. They also have beef for sale.
Babs and Pete Ambrose have a CSA at Ambrose Family Farms, along with a healthy list of guidelines for city slickers interested in signing up. My favorite: “Beauty is only skin deep. It might be ugly, but it’s still got character. This spring season, we harvested fresh garlic. It was ugly, stinky, and dirty (all the things that make great produce a real pleasure). It didn’t look like garlic but it sure smelled like garlic. A lot of members threw it away and complained about the stinky ugly dirty ‘thing’ in their box. But those who surmised from the smell that it might be garlic and tried it, had one of the most pleasurable experiences in their lives — fresh garlic. If you have questions about an item and cannot figure out what in the heck it is, check the web site for possible answers or call! Don’t just throw it away.”
You get the sense that they have little patience for ignorant city slickers — and who can blame them? Why would you throw out garlic!? They have a list of what they plan to grow for the spring season, which includes a nice variety of fruits, vegetables, flowers, and whatever Pete decides to experiment with. Ambrose also allows CSA members to pick-their-own herbs, blackberries, and other crops that are too expensive to harvest. Share prices range from $208-$611.
If you’d like to support more than the farmer, think about the Our Local Foods CSA at Thornhill Farms in McClellanville. The farm out there is home to the Adaptive Gardens of the Lowcountry, a program that lets people with disabilities and special needs get their hands dirty, planting and harvesting. They also offer a locally sourced food delivery program called Kitchen Table Cuisine where you can order a wonderful variety of hard-to-find items like McCucheon Farms grass-fed beef, Keegan Filion Farms pastured pork and free-range chicken, lamb from Ovis Hill, fresh-made sausages, free-range eggs, Happy Cow Creamery milk and butter, goat cheese, Rio Bertolini pasta, Anson Mills heritage grains, McCrady’s soups, stocks, and sauces, and locally roasted coffee. KTC makes weekly deliveries all across town.
For more CSA options, visit Lowcountry Local First’s website, which has a list of area CSAs, from St. George to St. Helena and all points in between.
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