CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Participating in a CSA is a great way to eat delicious vegetables and/or meat all season long. You pay up front for your share of the farmers’ products, and then pick them up at a specified location each week or month. Some people may ask why they should use this model when they can buy lovely vegetables and meat at the farmers market every week. Well, with a CSA, you are helping the farmer eliminate some of the inherent risks involved with farming. You help them with the initial investment of the seeds, the equipment, the animals, the shelter, etc., and in return, you know that you will have tasty food to eat. In the more traditional farming model, the farmer has to put all of their money into the initial investment, without any guarantee that someone will buy their product if they grow it. With very small margins, this helps insure that the farmers can be here to provide our food for years to come. In short, taking part in a CSA is one of the best ways to shop locally for your food.

Collective Harvest and Community Meat Co. are unique in our area in that they are both a cooperative of several farms working to bring the CSA shares to the consumers. In a normal vegetable CSA set up, if a crop like squash doesn’t work out for the season, the consumer just doesn’t get squash in their box, and instead they get more of the crops that are more fruitful. With the cooperative, it is likely that if one farmer’s squash crop got eaten up by bugs, one of the other farmers will have had a successful crop and can make up for it in your box. With Community Meat Co.’s cooperative, the farmers raise several different animals so they can provide you with chicken, eggs, pork, and beef all at one time.

On July 12th, we will partner with the farmers from Collective Harvest and Community Meat Co. to bring you an elegant four course farm to table meal. Join us at 7:00 for hors d’oeuvres and snacks, to meet the farmers, learn their story, and dine with them around the communal table. Taste the truly special food that these farms are growing, and sign up for their fall CSA shares. The $75 admission price includes tax and tip. Wine pairings for each course will be available for an additional $18 (not including tax and tip). Additional wine, beer, and cocktails will also be available for purchase.

All profits from this dinner will go to the Collective Harvest Fresh Food Fund which helps families in need have access to their CSA through partial sponsorships. See the flyer above for more information.