You may be surprised to hear it, but we believe CSAs aren’t for everyone. Certain life seasons or personalities and preferences may not mesh well with the CSA model. And that’s ok!
Based on feedback from previous members and friends, we’ve come up with a list of reasons why a CSA may NOT be the best choice for you.
1. If you’re looking for a cheap way to purchase vegetables, a CSA may not be for you.
The CSA subscription model is not the cheapest way to get more vegetables into your home. Many small farmers, us included, cannot beat the prices of major grocery chains. Economy of scale is a very real thing.
If you’re in a season of pinching pennies or sticking to a tight budget (we’ve been there!), a CSA model may not be the best option for you and your family right now.
2. If your family only eats a few kinds of vegetables, a CSA may not be for you.
If the vegetable options in your home don’t go much beyond carrots and potatoes and anything new or different causes what seems like mass hysteria, it may not be the right time to join a CSA. Our CSA offers a wide variety of vegetables, many you will recognize and a few new ones. We don’t want to cause conflict around your dinner table!
3. If the sight of an occasional bug in your lettuce or holes in your kale causes you to squeal, a CSA may not be for you.
Yes, our CSA members may find an occasional creepy-crawly in their greens even after they have been washed and inspected by us. Since we don’t use any chemicals or man-made deterrents, bugs tend to love our greens as much as we do. We do use crop rotation and hand-picking to keep them at a minimum, but here and there we may miss one.
4. If you have an inherent adversity to risk, a CSA may not be for you.
Joining with a farm through the CSA model spreads the risk of crop failure out between the farmer and all the
members. Occasionally, a crop will fail due to pests, adverse weather conditions, or other factors. As farmers, we use many techniques to minimize this risk, but sometimes we lose the battle. This may mean you receive very little or none at all of a particular crop that year.
5. If you have no interest in eating seasonally, a CSA may not be for you.
Here in Minnesota, what we can grow and when is limited by our climate. Lettuce grows amazingly in May and June but not July or August. Tomatoes and watermelon will not make an appearance at your Independence Day celebration, but will be abundant in late summer and early fall. If you’re expecting tomatoes and peppers every week or a constant supply of lettuce, you may want to source your vegetables elsewhere.
6. If you have no interest in supporting the local agricultural economy, a CSA may not be for you.
Joining a CSA means all your money stays local, in your community. You’re supporting a local family and their network instead of paying for a distribution chain of growers, buyers, transportation, and storage. Vegetables don’t get any fresher than those picked from a local farm delivered straight to your neighborhood. If that freshness and the local food movement don’t have an impact on your food choices, a CSA may not be your best choice.
With all that being said, we believe the CSA model is a fantastic one with many positive qualities!
If you are looking for a big variety of amazingly fresh, local vegetables, grown without any chemicals or pesticides, and want to join with a local farm, then the CSA model is right for you!
So, what do you think? Are you the type to join a vegetable CSA? Comment below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!