How to Choose the Best Boston-Area CSA for You

If you’re not yet familiar with Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), here’s a quick primer: When you join one, you buy a share of the farm’s produce for the growing season. You can typically choose the share size that best fits your household, and enjoy regular boxes of fresh vegetables as crops are harvested. A CSA share takes the guesswork and planning out of eating healthy and local, and encourages you to try new foods you wouldn’t normally have picked up.

Not only does it make your life easier, but it makes life easier for farmers! They have money upfront to support their farms, and in these days of Covid-19 this is a major way that farmers are sustaining their business right now, while simultaneously reducing our need to go to crowded big box grocery stores. Farming is always hard work, but now with many local markets closed, it’s even harder for small producers. Buying a CSA share will directly support small-scale farms, provide you with fresh food, and encourage sustainable farming practices. If you’re not looking for a vegetable CSA, there are other types to choose from such as meat and seafood, but we’ll get to that later!

What to Consider When Choosing a CSA

How much food do you realistically need every week? Be honest with yourself, not aspirational. We’re trying to avoid food waste.
Are you looking to put food away for the winter through canning or freezing? If you’ve been wanting to learn, might we recommend Marisa McClellan’s blog or canning books for small batch preserving?
Are you willing to learn how to cook foods you’re not familiar with?
Is it important for you to have a relationship with your farmer? Some farms offer extra events or u-picks you can attend on the farm as a benefit of being a member, so look out for that!

Each of these questions can be answered by going to any number of websites and doing some browsing. There are so many farms in the Boston area with numerous options that it can be overwhelming. Here are some places to start:

Urban Farming Institute

Order food for delivery, take a farming class for teens or adults, or learn how to forage through this awesome organization’s website. Support their mission to “promote urban farming…[and] engage individuals in growing food and building a healthy community.”

Clover

If you live near a Clover restaurant location, this is a super easy option for you. On Clover’s website you can choose and sign up for a CSA that offers delivery to your local location. Covid has changed the rules slightly to home delivery, so make sure to review the options and updates. You can also get your hands on mushroom and flower share options.

Mass.gov

The state has a CSA info page that leads you to an excellent interactive map of CSA pickup spots, and other farms in your area. Just zoom in and click!

Meat & Seafood Shares

If you’re not into veggies, try a meat share!

Walden Local offers grass-fed meat and chickens.
Lilac Hedge Farm has pasture-raised meats from poultry to pork to lamb.
Stillman Quality Meats offers meat and seafood delivery.
Cape Ann Fresh Catch has a wide selection of fresh seafood that can be delivered right to your door.

There’s no better way to vote with your dollars, support your community, reinforce safe and sustainable farming practices, and bring quality food into your home than to join a CSA and support local farms.

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Becky Holder is a content contributor for JUGs and works in education. In her free time she looks for the next best cup of coffee and great food. Follow along @rebeccalizholder on Instagram.