Subscribing to a CSA? Shop early

People in Clark County can subscribe to a farm’s crop harvest, but how is it done?

According to Shawn Morrill, store manager at the Vancouver Food Co-op, unless you already know a CSA farmer or member, subscribing to a farm crop, or CSA, requires effort.  Washington State University Small Farms Team, Local Harvest, Inc. and the SW WA CSA are some of the organizations that have lists of farms selling shares of their harvests, and there are others. But getting a list of farms is only the beginning.

Some farms offer a short twelve-week share, while others boast as long as a twenty-four week season. Some offer only a few vegetables, while others offer a wide variety of both fruits and vegetables as well as cheese, eggs, poultry and more. Some are simply alternative farms, while others are holistic, 100 percent organic, vegan, the list of choices goes on. Costs for a share and delivery options vary greatly as well.

While it may be under development, there seems to be no truly all-inclusive clearinghouse of information available for Southwest Washington, so that interested people have to search websites, make phone calls and even visit farms before being able to decide which CSA to join.

A word of caution, farmers recommend that you reserve your share early, because shares in a popular CSA can sell out long before the growing season begins.