Boston area - Local Meat and Vegetable CSAs
Three years ago, I posted a list of Boston-area CSAs that I had been researching when looking for one to join. I eventually signed up with Chestnut Farms and Busa Farm and was very happy with both.
CSA stands for Community-Supported Agriculture. Members pay a set fee (usually in advance) for a share of the season's harvest. Typically, for vegetable CSAs, members then pick up a box of veggies each week of the harvest season. For the meat CSA, we pick up a monthly batch of frozen meat.
Looks like people still look at that old post but the prices were out of date and websites had moved. Time for an update! Looking around, I was excited to see there were a lot more CSA options available now. There's even a fish CSA! While some are sold out for 2011 already, looks like some are still accepting new members.
If you don't want to commit to a weekly or monthly share, don't forget that most of these farms also sell at the Farmer's Markets. You'll get more for your money if you sign up with a CSA but if you don't cook often or if you go out of town a lot, you may find yourself with more vegetables than you know what to do with.
(www.massfarmersmarkets.org
Some of the pickups are at other businesses like restaurants, bakeries, and farmer's markets. I'm glad they provide a place for the csa share pickups. It's also a smart business on their part since I can't resist sampling their wares too. For example, many years ago, my Meat CSA pickup was on the same day as the Arlington Farmers Market. Worrying that the meat pickup would cause more traffic, the farmers market asked the farm to move the pickups to a different night. I don't know if it solved their traffic problems, but the end result for me is that I've never shopped at the Arlington Farmer's Market again since I wasn't going to make a separate trip there when there were other Farmer's Markets nearer to me.
Interested in looking for a CSA but you don't live around Boston?
Try searching http://www.localharvest.org/ for nearby farms and CSA options. You should probably look at that link anyhow since I'm probably not going to update this list again for a few more years and I probably missed a few places this time around anyhow.
Please share any reviews and comments you might have for these places!
( Click to see my notes on various sources for local meat and vegetables around Boston )
CSA stands for Community-Supported Agriculture. Members pay a set fee (usually in advance) for a share of the season's harvest. Typically, for vegetable CSAs, members then pick up a box of veggies each week of the harvest season. For the meat CSA, we pick up a monthly batch of frozen meat.
Looks like people still look at that old post but the prices were out of date and websites had moved. Time for an update! Looking around, I was excited to see there were a lot more CSA options available now. There's even a fish CSA! While some are sold out for 2011 already, looks like some are still accepting new members.
If you don't want to commit to a weekly or monthly share, don't forget that most of these farms also sell at the Farmer's Markets. You'll get more for your money if you sign up with a CSA but if you don't cook often or if you go out of town a lot, you may find yourself with more vegetables than you know what to do with.
(www.massfarmersmarkets.org
Some of the pickups are at other businesses like restaurants, bakeries, and farmer's markets. I'm glad they provide a place for the csa share pickups. It's also a smart business on their part since I can't resist sampling their wares too. For example, many years ago, my Meat CSA pickup was on the same day as the Arlington Farmers Market. Worrying that the meat pickup would cause more traffic, the farmers market asked the farm to move the pickups to a different night. I don't know if it solved their traffic problems, but the end result for me is that I've never shopped at the Arlington Farmer's Market again since I wasn't going to make a separate trip there when there were other Farmer's Markets nearer to me.
Interested in looking for a CSA but you don't live around Boston?
Try searching http://www.localharvest.org/ for nearby farms and CSA options. You should probably look at that link anyhow since I'm probably not going to update this list again for a few more years and I probably missed a few places this time around anyhow.
Please share any reviews and comments you might have for these places!
( Click to see my notes on various sources for local meat and vegetables around Boston )