[eat] Home Grown Kansas: Wichita’s CSA
“It’s like Christmas morning!” I said to my friend Amy back in May, the day before we were to report to the Old Town farmers’ market to pick up our very first CSA share.
CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. The concept: you pay a local farm a certain amount each week or month, and you get a selection of their produce each week. Rather than buying each item piecemeal from the farmers’ market, you just get a share of whatever the farm has available. It’s a cross between bulk buying and those “mystery grab bags” at the dollar store.
Though there are ups and downs to this method for the consumer, CSA programs are a way to make a stronger investment in a particular farm. There are many fine local vendors to choose from at Wichita’s farmers’ markets, but I was already a fan of Home Grown Kansas (a farm in northwest Wichita near Maize), so I was excited to learn that they were restarting their CSA program after a multi-year hiatus.
The cost may seem a bit daunting at first – about $100 a month – but keep in mind that you won’t be spending as much in the produce aisle as a result. Or, do what I do and split your share with a friend. This works especially well if, like Amy and I, you don’t have kids and/or just live with one other person; half a share is still plenty of food at a pretty good value.
So what do you get? The shares have varied greatly from week to week, and while some weeks have been more bountiful than others, I feel like I’m eating pretty well. Here’s just a small list of what I’ve taken home in the past 10 weeks: basil, mint, parsley, potatoes, green onions, tomatoes, sweet corn, Swiss chard, okra, collard greens, turnips, kohlrabi, thyme, peas, fennel, asparagus… you get the idea. If it’s locally grown, I’ve probably eaten it lately.
One aspect of the CSA that I really like is that it introduces me to vegetables I wouldn’t normally buy. I’m a picky shopper, usually making several rounds at the farmers’ market to determine who has the best produce at the best price, then buying a small amount from several vendors. Cabbage leaves, scallions and cantaloupe never would have made it into my bag that way, but thanks to the CSA, they’ve been great additions to my summer meals. My favorite items, though, have been “gifts” from Home Grown Kansas’ farming friends: blueberries from a farm in Southern Kansas and a jar of honey from a local apiary. I’m hoping for eggs at some point, too.
The program is full for this year, but check the Home Grown Kansas website next spring to sign up for 2011. Maybe other local farms will follow suit and start CSA programs of their own. Though it may not be the best option for everyone, CSA definitely works for me.
Are you a part of the Home Grown Kansas CSA, or have any other experience with the program? Tell us about it in the comments.
Related posts:
Anyone who hasn’t visited the Farmer’s Market in Old Town is missing out on some great deals. My husband and I went last week for tomatoes and ended up leaving with tomatoes, homemade pickles, fresh pasta, and a cool new incense burner. Don’t worry if you aren’t into veggies, they have tons of other products to look at and free samples. It’s a great way to spend an hour or two on a Saturday morning.
Cool! I didn’t know they did the “gifts” thing from other farms. The idea of fun surprises in a weekly basket makes the program more appealing to me, I guess. I’ll definitely try to get on board next year.
I joined a CSA last summer. I was heads over heels the first half of the summer, the second half it got a little draining. A lot of the same produce repeating from week to week, while still tasty, I ended up freezing half the box by the end, as I didn’t want to make another squash meal, and was tired of eating corn on the cob. Plus while there was a ton of variety in the box, there was never enough of the stuff that I would have more enjoyed, like spinach or eggplant. So this year, I’m going back to just growing what I want. I can always go down to the farmers market to get something unique for the week still :)
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Steph Barnard, Amy Delamaide. Amy Delamaide said: RT @stephbarnard: That one time I joined a CSA: http://bit.ly/a0GuO8 [...]
Sounds awesome! I live alone so I feel like even sharing with one person would be way too much… Do you think that’s true? I’ve been hitting the west farmer’s market every two or three weeks to get jalapenos, cucumbers, onions, etc. I’m growing tomatoes, a few different peppers (sweet and hot). But my onions and cucumbers were a big fail this year. I’m still not sure what I did wrong, if anything?
Yeah, I am worried I’ll get sick of potatoes and sweet corn… in fact, I already kind of am. But at least there’s a little variety. And I guess I could freeze some of the stuff.
Kelly – yeah, I think it would be a lot of food for one person, even half a share. Although Amy I think sometimes cooks just for herself, whereas I’m usually cooking for two, so she might have better insight. But I’m thinking/hoping HGK will introduce more options for next year’s program – that, or maybe other farms will start one up too, so there’s more competition and variety.
I’ve been waiting for a program to come around like this for a while! I love attending the Farmer’s Market, but I’ve heard my cousin talk about her CSA program in Oregon for months and it makes me jealous. I’ll see if I can muster the cash for next year! My garden’s tomatoes and peppers aren’t enough to satisfy me. :)
Leave your response!
Verbs
Recent Comments
Archives
Authors
Follow Us
Recent Posts
Most Commented
Most Viewed
eat | drink | do | go | help | listen | inform | meet | move | nest | rate | read | save | shop | snap | try | watch | wear | work
verb [ICT] is the premier online source for discovering Wichita, Kansas. From the hottest local restaurants and bars to the best shopping, music, arts, events and travel, verb [ICT] has Wichita covered.