Cohousing-L Mailing List: Coho & "Community Supported Agriculture"

[Mmariner (Mmariner]

For those of you who have prettty much decided to have an urban or suburban
community where you won't have space or time or expertise to grow much food:

Our suburban co-op household of 3 belongs to a CSA

Have you heard of CSA's?  Community Supported Agriculture farms operate by
having their customers buy in at the beginning of the growing season and then
you get fresh farm produce (sometimes including vegetables, grains, beans,
poultry  and dairy products) throughout the rest of the year.  For many of
them your labor is either optional or required.  Frequently CSA's are organic
or seeking to become certified for organic produce.

So for us "gentleperson farmers" who love to get out and get our hands in the
dirt when we have time and inclination, there you go!

The current CSA paradigm typically has several (many) individual members or
households for each farm.  

With cohousing, the whole cohousing group could be a member and the common
house dining room could utilize the produce as well as the individual
households.

Even if you don't get involved with a CSA, consider buying food bulk -- at
least your grains and beans and non-perishables.  Saves $$, packaging, trips
to the store, etc.

Does anybody have a list of resources re CSA's?  We're members of a CSA near
Boulder, but I don't know anything about books or a listing of North American
or worldwide CSA's.

Mike M
Boulder