What is a CSA?
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a simple relationship between a farm and its community. Families and individuals become members of the farm by purchasing a share of the harvest each year. This fee supports the costs of growing over 50 different crops, which the farm then distributes back to the shareholders in abundance each week from June through the end of October.
The concept of Community Supported Agriculture began in Japan in the 1960s - the translation literally means “food with a farmer’s face on it.” The idea spread to Europe and eventually took root in the US where today over 1,000 CSA’s thrive.
Fresh From the Field to the Table
The support of CSA shareholders enables the farmers at Crystal Spring Community Farm to focus their efforts on producing organic vegetables that are often harvested and distributed to you on the same day. The most flavorful varieties are chosen each season knowing that they won’t need to be shipped or stored before they arrive on your table.
Linking Small Farms and their Communities
By becoming a shareholder of Crystal Spring Community Farm, you are supporting local agriculture and ensuring that a working farm will continue to be a part of your community landscape. Shareholders also have the opportunity to know who grows their food and how it is cultivated. We encourage you to attend our scheduled tours…or possibly lend a hand during peak harvest time!
Shared Bounty, Shared Risk
Part of the pleasure (and sometimes frustration!) of farming lies within the season’s variability and uncontrollable forces of nature. Shareholders join the farmer in sharing the risk associated with food production. Every season some varieties may not yield as expected — but many others always exceed our goals. We plan every year to grow more than we need, ensuring a plentiful and diverse bounty to enjoy each week.