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CSA farms committed to quality, variety
With snow flurries still threatening to cover garden beds in a blanket of white, it may seem premature to daydream of incorporating locally grown vegetables into your daily cuisine. However, if you're planning on relying on someone else's garden this year, there is no better time than now to join one of the county's three community supported agriculture (CSA) programs.
For an annual fee, CSA members receive a weekly share of the harvest from their CSA farm for an average of five months, beginning at the start of summer. Members do not pay for x pounds of produce, but support the budget of the whole farm to receive what is seasonally ripe on a weekly basis.
CSA farms aim to increase the quality of food on local tables, as well as the treatment of the land, plants and animals on which they rely. CSA farms typically use more ecologically friendly growing methods.
Susan Mealiea of Manassas, has been a member of Bull Run Mountain Vegetable Farm in The Plains for three years. She used to grow more of her family's food in her own small garden, but said, with work, it was hard to keep on top of it. Now she pays $475 for a two-person CSA share.
“I like knowing the vegetables are locally grown and organic,” Mealiea said. “I also like knowing where they come from. You can visit the farm, which we have done many times. I feel it's not only better for our family, but for the world.”
Many CSA members share similar motives, listing health and the environment as primary reasons for opting for locally grown produce, instead of choosing from the vast bins in the supermarket.
Because CSA farms operate on a small scale in a closed market, the farmers know who they are growing for and how much to grow in advance, thereby largely eliminating waste. Having a guaranteed market through prepaid annual sales also eliminates marketing risks and costs for the producer, and saves the farmer time and manpower. All this enables the farmer to focus on quality — growing, care of soils, crops, animals — and on customer service.
Leigh Hauter, who runs Bull Run Mountain Vegetable Farm started out with a large garden. Now he grows food for 500 shareholders on his 15 acres.
“I grow what's neat, and what customers want,” Hauter said. “I've tried growing a lot of different things and have found out what works best.”
Hauter admits that his own taste buds sometimes play a role in what springs from the soil each year. “ I also grow what I like to eat,” he said. “There's not as much swiss chard as there is some of the other vegetables. I have some bad childhood memories of eating swiss chard.”
Farming however, has also turned him in favor of certain vegetables he had never liked. “I've learned to love lima beans.” Hauter said. “There's no comparison between home-grown lima beans and those from the grocery store. These are sweet. They're an entirely different animal.”
Likewise, Mealiea said that belonging to a CSA not only encourages her family to eat more vegetables, but has also expanded her family's cuisine horizon.
“We've tried lots of different vegetables, we would have never otherwise tried before” Mealiea said, “like tomatillas,” she added, describing the small green tomatoes with paper-thin skin that are often used in Latin American cooking.
While the eclectic variety of vegetables sparks Mealiea and her family to explore new recipes, according to Hauter some people don't stick with the CSA program, because they would prefer to be able to pick out the vegetables they want.
“This is for people who want to cook fresh vegetables and spend time in the kitchen,” Hauter said. “Some people think they're going to turn over a new leaf, but it's a lifestyle change, a decision to eat raw, fresh, food instead of heavily processed food.”
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